Missing conversations
by unicornspoopglitter
Summary: It's a Foster and Green themed fan fiction. Having to let my imagination fill in the blanks of what might be being said onboard the Nathan James because at the moment they don't seem to be talking much onscreen. I'm rooting for these two. Hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own The Last Ship, I am not affiliated with TNT. This is just a fanfiction.

This is set in season 2, just after the assault on the hospital ship. I watched an unaired clip on youtube of Foster telling Green not to leave her to raise this baby alone. We've just reached episode 7 of season 2 in the UK yet, so not sure which episode it should've/will be in and we've not had much Foster and Green interaction recently, so trying to fill the gaps with my imagination. Tried to keep it as true and fitting to the storyline, hope you enjoy.

Lt Cdr Andrea Garnett settled back into her bunk, she hadn't expected her family to still be alive but the confirmation of their death had still hit her hard. She looked at the picture on the wall that she'd saved from her old home. She picked up Chung's acquisitions report from her desk, perhaps reading about the supplies picked up from Norfolk would distract her. There was a tentative knock at the door, so quiet that Garnett almost missed it.

"Come in?" She questioned, wondering if one of the crew had simply just brushed past the door. The door opened and Lt Foster stood there, looking uncomfortable.

"Kara?" she smiled gently at the younger woman, their time together during the trial had left Garnett with a soft spot for the junior LT. Kara failed to meet her eyes.

"Ma'am, I, er, need some help." she said words that Garnett was not expecting to hear, Foster was usually calm and self-assured.

"Well, you're not an engineer, so I'm guessing it's not a work related problem." She motioned for her to come inside the cabin, "Was everything ok at home?" she asked, trying not to think too much of her own home visit. Foster looked at her feet,

"I'm sorry to hear about your husband and little girl," she said quietly. Neither of them had much discussed the activities inside the biohazard tent, the details blurry, though both have some recollection of Lt Cdr Garnett singing to Kara and referring to her by her daughter's name. It had created some sort of strange maternal bond between Garnett and Foster, unspoken of and it was this that had led Foster to Garnett's cabin.

"I didn't expect…. I hoped… but ….. " Andrea trailed off, "Thank you. Will you sit down?" Kara sat at the desk chair and Garnett just waited.

"I don't know what to do," the younger woman eventually said, breathing out heavily as if this was the first time she'd openly admitted what was weighing her down. "I went home, my mom is still alive, she's helping to run the safe haven at the bowling alley. She was an alcoholic, y'know but she hasn't drunk for months. I honestly thought it would've been the thing that pushed her further into drinking." Kara felt embarrassed for having such low expectations of her mother, though in the past she'd often been right.

"Well, disaster can often be the thing that proves us, brings out the need to be in control,"

"Yeah, she's doing well." She smiled a little to herself, "she knew about the baby, I don't know how but she knew." She shook her head, the small smile still playing her lips, as she said it, still trying to work out how her recovering alcoholic mother could've have had such insight. Suddenly the reason for Foster's visit became clear to Garnett.

"You chose to come back to the ship, you didn't want to stay ashore?" she probed gently.

"No, I didn't tell my mom because she'd have asked me to stay and even though it's not home at the moment, I'd have felt I had to. I think she knew that, which is why she didn't ask. For the first time she understood why I was going back to the Navy. I can be at sea until 20 weeks," she gave a slight shrug with her shoulders, "though right now I'm not sure how many weeks pregnant I am. They thought at Baltimore I was about 10 weeks but it wasn't exactly an obgyn appointment….. I know I made the right decision to come back to sea but I don't know what to do," she repeated.

"Well, I think part of your problem is that the "doing" has already been done," she said with a wry smile, motioning to Kara's abdomen with her head. Kara smiled ruefully and touched just below her belt. "I stayed onboard until I was 20 weeks pregnant," Andrea volunteered, she smiled remembering back, "I met my husband onboard."

"You did?" Kara asked, a little surprise. Somehow, despite spending some time together in the Arctic, until going through the trial together, she had known and still knew very little about her senior's personal life. She'd never been stand offish but she'd also never openly talked about her life back home, though Kara had very rarely heard her talk about anything other than work, she often took meals outside of the mess, working in the engine spaces. Maybe she talked to others about her life, those in the same social position with a spouse and children back home, though Kara suspected there wasn't a secret "parents away from home" support meeting with the CO, XO and Chief engineer attending being held in the wardroom every week. Something had changed though, Foster felt they were more friends than colleagues now.

"He was a pilot, a bit, well, a lot older and very much more senior than me but I never saw it, he had me from hello. We were deployed together for 8 months. That 'no fraternisation' rule is hard," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "He was the CO of an embarked squadron, they'd come onboard for the deployment." She looked at the wall and Kara followed her gaze, next to the picture drawn by a small hand was a squadron badge, tacked carefully to the bulkhead.

"The Jolly Rogers," Kara recognised the motif, referring to the squadron's nickname. It had never occurred to Kara that Garnett had been married to the CO of a fast jet strike squadron, in fact she'd never really considered what her husband might be like. In the back of her mind she'd perhaps pictured him to be a passive man, allowing his wife to assume the role of wage earner whilst he stayed at home to raise the baby.

"Yeah, he looked good in a flight suit," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "The world has changed since then though, I stayed onboard until I was 20 weeks pregnant, then I worked in the engineer's office at Norfolk until my maternity leave. I used to go home after work to a husband that would rub my feet and bring me a pizza." as the comment floated off into the air, Kara suspected that there would be very little opportunity on the Nathan James for Danny to rub her feet and the pizza place certainly wasn't still delivering. "No one onboard knows and I suppose it's not important now but I was going to put my notice in after we got back to Norfolk from the Artic, see out my time on the ship. John had an old training buddy that was setting up a courier business, wanted good pilots. I was going to be the one to stay at home, play "mommy", we even talked about having another baby."

"Was it hard to leave your daughter and come back to sea?" It was the bit that Kara didn't want to think about, leave the ship or leave the baby.

"Every time but John was a fantastic father. He retired just as I finished my maternity leave. We moved into base housing at Norfolk just before I came back to sea. It's all Lilly ever knew, that her father stayed at home and her mother went away. "

"I didn't plan this," Kara said quietly, "I really tried, I tried to stay away. I knew I was breaking the rules, we were only meant to be away four months and then he should've left. We planned to date once we got back and we could. I didn't want to be this woman, I feel like I've let myself down by getting swept away and pregnant." That was it, she'd said it and the first tears started to fall. "I don't know what I'll do, I know I can't stay on the ship but I'm not sure where I'll go. My mother is doing better but I don't what she'll be like in six months time….. probably back on the bottle. Nothing teaches self-reliance better than a childhood where a mother repeatedly fails to live up to the role." The tears stopped and Kara mentally checked herself. She loved her mother but too many times she'd been let down and she wasn't going to open herself up to that again. She took a deep breath, "I can raise this baby, I know the world is different now but I can do this, I might not be on the ship but I can still be in Norfolk, we'll need to start again, there's plenty of things I can be doing…" she told Garnett forcefully, her eyes darting from side to side wildly.

"Kara," Andrea softly interrupted, searching her face and meeting her gaze, "It take two people to make a baby."

"Huh?" Kara replied, frowning slightly as the comment registered.

"You haven't mentioned Danny once."

"I don't know what he wants. It's all so accelerated and the crazy world in which we now live isn't helping. When he told me I was pregnant, he looked so happy and in awe but at some point reality sets in. It's awkward, we can't be together onboard, we can't have those moments that other couples have and I don't want him to feel he has to choose between the mission and a baby…."

"Kara, he loves you, anyone with a set of eyes can see that but you have to let him in or else you will push him away. Have you talked to him about this?"

"No," she shook her head, "I hurt him this week. I didn't introduce him in a good way to my mother, I didn't tell her about the baby, I never introduced him as anything more than my friend and even though she knew I still… I didn't do it to hurt him though, I just needed to stay detached from her. If she'd asked me to stay, I would've felt that I had to and I don't want to be apart from Danny but we can't be together here either."

"Kara, unless you talk to Danny, he's not going to know what you're thinking."

"I don't want him to see me scared and unsure, I don't want him to feel obliged. Since Norfolk he's all about the mission now, his new team and "useful" emotions." She rubbed her hand over her face in a dejected manner, "I'm sorry, I just needed someone to talk to."

Andrea moved herself near to Kara and put a reassuring hand on her back, "As flattered as I am that you felt you could come to me, I'm not the one you should be talking to. He's the one you need to talk to. As for not being able to spend time together, I'll speak to the CO, I'm sure some revision to the no fraternisation rule can be made to accommodate your unique situation. It'll be ok."

The conversation was interrupted by the buzz of the ship's tannoy coming alive. The pipe went out for the Chief Engineer to report to the man engine space. Andrea stood up, retied her hair into a bun, "I'm sorry Kara, I have to go but you have to tell Danny this, he's part of this, that little life inside of you makes you a family and you can't make a decision on how he feels for him. Talk to him, you'll be surprised." Garnett made her way to the door, "Just let yourself out when you're done thinking." And the door closed behind her, leaving Kara alone to mull over the conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reading everyone and for the feedback, glad you're enjoying it. Enjoy the next couple of chapters going up today.

Tex lay on his bunk, passing time pleasantly considering his future with the beautiful Dr Rachel Scott, sure it was all a day dream but as far as day dreams went, this was a good one. It was rudely interrupted by a bang of the door and someone clanking around, a locker door slamming and the sound of body throwing itself onto the bunk below. That would be Danny back in the cabin then.

"Howdy, good day?" Tex asked with a smirk, knowing the answer by Danny's behaviour before any answer could be given. Although he didn't know the specific problem Tex suspected it may have to do with the lovely Lt Kara Foster. Tex didn't know much about women but as a man who had fallen hard for many women, he could recognise a man with girl problems. Tex liked Danny but he still couldn't help but wind him up slighty, "you and Kara seem to be playing happy families." Tex had a grin to himself when he felt Danny's fist hit the base of his bunk in response.

"Apparently, the word "boyfriend doesn't cut it," Danny slightly mimicked Kara in his reply. Tex winced slightly, wondering if it had been the wrong call to tease Danny, this sounded a bit more serious than he'd expected.

"Well," Tex drawled, "you weren't exactly boyfriend material when she came to see you before boarding the hospital ship earlier. Telling a pregnant woman that jealousy is a useless emotion might be seen as….. unsupportive, unfeeling even." So Tex had seen the earlier exchange, Danny had hoped it might have gone unnoticed by the team.

"It is a useless emotion, besides she then made out that it wasn't Bevas she was talking about in the first place. It wasn't time for a social exchange, we were working, I was prepping for the mission and I don't really know why she was there, she could've quite easily told me what she had to say about the support system in front of everyone." Danny felt defensive for two reasons, mainly because he felt embarrassed that Tex had seen his earlier response to Kara's visit but also because he still felt uncomfortable about breaking the rules. "I mean, what did she think was going to happen, we were working, I was trying to focus on the mission. We've already been punished before this because our behaviour jeopardized the ship and her crew. The CO was very clear, there was nothing more to go on." When the hierarchy had found out and he'd been made to explain his behaviour and the consequences he felt unprofessional and self-conscious of the fact he'd possibly lost credibility amongst those he lead. He was aware that every time he spoke to Kara in front of people, they would be watching, wondering if he'd put her first again. Problem was, he loved her and it took every effort to stand back

"But that was before, before the trial, before the baby, before _Baltimore_." Tex stressed the last word. He'd never gone into details with Danny about what he'd seen and he wasn't sure how much he and Kara had spoken about it but on some level Danny must know something serious had occurred.

Danny remained silent, they hadn't talked much since Baltimore, there always seemed to be someone around. He'd hoped there would be a chance at Norfolk but they'd been escorted to Kara's mother's house and then to the bowling alley. Kara hadn't seemed too keen on making it public that they were together or that they were having a baby but then again, were they having a baby or was Kara having the baby? After all, "boyfriend doesn't quite cut it." but if he wasn't her boyfriend he wasn't really sure what he was. He knew he loved her, he found himself looking at her, in the wardroom, in the CIC, out on the upper deck, when she was talking and laughing with others but he couldn't bring himself to go to her. He just wanted to watch her from afar, protect her and the baby but just couldn't bring himself to go any closer. Norfolk had been weird, they'd spent together but no time alone and because of Kara wanting to keep everything a secret all he could do was exchange glances and hover protectively at her shoulder. He hoped that she'd picked up on his body language, he'd tried to stand closer to her, tried to catch her eye more and without realising his stance had become protective, even proud of having something to protect.

"The thing is, Tex, I don't know where I stand. I love that woman, I want to be with her but I don't really know what she wants. She didn't seem keen to tell her mother about us and I don't think it was because she was embarrassed or didn't want to say we were together, she said it was because if her mother asked she'd have to stay but I just don't know anymore, I thought I was being supportive and then there was the comment about Wolf but then there's the mission, we've already put the ship at risk before, I don't know if I can trust myself to always put things before her …." Danny started to open up and Tex rolled his eyes, this wasn't what he had envisioned when he'd asked after Danny's day.

"Er, Danny-boy, are you a woman?" he asked stopping Danny in his tracks, "'Cause you're starting to sound like you have more problems than those poor Kardashian girls with the "Does she love me, does she not?" Personally, the heart wants what the heart wants, mission or no. You gotta tell her because right now, she probably feels like the only pregnant woman on Earth and pretty alone. You weren't exactly the most loveable creature in the hanger, she's pregnant and no matter how confident a woman you are, you still need some reassurance from the baby-daddy that he's not interested in the new female member of his team. Maybe you need to tell Kara she's nothing to worry about because it looks like Burke is going for that one." When he wasn't joking around, Tex could be pretty insightful, he opened up little about his past but advice suggested similar experiences of his own. He observed quietly the behaviour and interactions of others, he had seen Danny stare at Kara across the wardroom, then remember himself and check round to see if anyone had caught him. He'd also noticed the double gym sessions, the effort he put into running the team, trying to make up for past indiscretions, eradicating weakness but Tex was right, the heart wants, what the heart wants.

"What do you know Tex? I've heard you many times tell Halsey that what you know about women could fit on the back of a postage stamp." Danny made himself banter light heartedly, attempting to manoeuvre away from the close truth that Tex has voiced. Tex was probably right but he didn't need to know that or else Danny would never hear the end of it. Tex heard the effort in the light hearted comment and knew that was the end of the conversation.

"True but we all know Rachael secretly wants me so I must be doing something right." he joked and he heard Danny laugh, any tension that had been there dissipated.

"Yeah, keep dreaming Tex." He replied as he rolled over to get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Danny woke when he felt the weight shift from his arm, he lazily opened one eye to find Kara moving away from him, getting out of bed._

 _"_ _And where do you think you're going to Mrs Green?" he gave her that lazy smile she loved, he reached over, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling back close to him. She looked at him, shook her head and laughed,_

 _"_ _Bathroom, you don't have a baby bouncing on your bladder," she reminded him, smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. He looked at her besotted, his smile showed his teeth and he relaxed his arm, letting her go._

 _"_ _Ok but don't be long, you promised me a long lie in today and the bed's already getting cold." He told her with mock sternness as she pulled on a robe, tying the belt above a rounded stomach. She turned back to him, ran her hand over his stubble and then leaned down to kiss him. He smiled to himself. Kara then leaned down and licked his hand, her big brown soulful eyes staring deeply into his, he patted her head and she licked his hand again….._

Halsey licked Danny's hand and continued to stare at him, his big brown soulful eyes staring at the smiling half asleep man in front of him. Danny's eyes flickered as he slowly came to, he stared back into Halsey's eyes. "You're not Kara," he said sighed, acknowledging the difference with a stroke of the dog's head. Even in sleep there was no escape, now his dreams were starting to tease him, at least it wasn't another dream about Frankie's death. He looked at his watch, 0500, the team were not turning to until 0730. Halsey pawed him, tilting his head and Danny sighed, might as well go out and do some dog training then.

Danny hid the chew toys around the flight deck, as Frankie had told him to. Halsey sat by the hanger door and whined.

"Stay," he commanded the dog, "down." He motioned with his hand and the dog obeyed. He hadn't done as much with the Admiral as Frankie had. It was often early morning after the haunting dreams when he couldn't go back to sleep. He heard the soft pound of someone running along the upper deck, the sole of a sneaker hitting cambrex and the energy dissipating through the hard deck. Danny didn't often see people out on the upper deck at this time, only the occasional sailor on the night watch doing the rounds. He moved out from behind the flight deck fuel control locker and came face to face with Kara, she stopped abruptly a couple of meters away from him.

"Danny," she said surprised at his sudden appearance. After all it was because of him she was out there, she couldn't sleep and thought a run would help process her thoughts and clear her head.

"Kara," replied, equally surprised. He reached out to touch her and quickly pulled his hand back, unsure of it would be welcomed. "You're out early."

"Same could be said for you, " she replied, "I was struggling to sleep."

"The pregnancy?" he asked concerned, he had no idea at what point you struggled to sleep when you were pregnant, with that another thought occurred to him, "Should you be out running? I mean… the baby….." He'd be the first to admit he knew nothing about pregnancy.

She smiled at him, "It's fine, I asked Doc Rios if it would harm the baby and he'd said that because I was active before I should continue. In the long run it's better, healthier pregnancy, healthier baby, I can run until it's not comfortable anymore, then I can walk or go on the exercise bike." Danny wondered when she'd had this conversation, had it been an official appointment about the baby and should he have been there? If this had been the old world, with no virus and the possibility of being a normal couple he'd have made every effort to be at every doctor's appointment and every scan.

"Yeah, exercise is important," was all he could say and she smiled tightly at him. Halsey whined to remind him that he was still waiting.

"I'd best let you get on," Kara said, she started to step away from him, a small step but all Danny could see was her leaving him and walking away. Without realising it he caught her arm to stop her.

"Kara, I still love you, more than anything." He whispered urgently, she turned her face to his and he pulled her behind the locker, away from the prying eyes of any night watchmen or flight deck cameras.

"Danny," he heard her breathe, right before he found his mouth crashing down onto hers, his strong hands cradling her head. He felt her fingers in his hair, pulling and twisting it. The last few weeks of being unable to be near each other, channelled into this one kiss. It's like the kiss contained every emotion of the last few months, the pain of loss, the desperation felt when Kara had been ill, the joy of the baby, the longing and need felt by the separation, it was passion reignited, like the first kiss of the future. At this moment in time, nothing else in the world existed for either of them. They broke apart, the guarded look Kara had in eyes when they first spoke had gone, there was a new brightness that had been missing for some time.

"Danny, we need to talk." Her heart racing from that kiss, he could only nod in response.

"Later," he agreed. There was something he needed to do right now though. "Can I touch the baby?" He hadn't touched her stomach since the day he'd told her she was pregnant, sat in the tent, a biohazard suit between them. Kara had been close to death and the Captain had let him visit her, a very real possibility that he would loose her and loose baby that neither of them had known about. It was the last time that either of them had behaved without their emotions in check, as if no one was watching them, like a couple in love with everything to fight for, rather than professional within the military with a mission to fight for.

Kara looked at him in amazement, "You're the last person that needs to ask," and she took his hand, placing it on a tiny bump just below the waistband of the running legging she wore. Danny crouched down, never removing his hand and he just stared. There was nothing to see but his eyes were wide and he drew in a ragged breath, overwhelmed by the idea that there was a baby there, his baby. At this point even Kara seemed a million miles away even though he was in physical contact with her. Thoughts rushed through his mind at a thousand miles an hour,

"Hello baby." He whispered, his face close to her abdomen.

"I call it Been." Kara said softly,

"Bean?" Danny asked, never taking his hand or eyes off her stomach, "because it looks like a bean?" He seen his cousin's baby scan, he could maybe see a resemblance to a kidney bean.

"No - Baby Green." Kara said with a slight emphasis on the "Green." It was only at this point that Danny dragged his eyes up to hers and found her looking at him, her eyes searching his for his reaction. He let out a ragged breath, as if someone had just punched him, then smiled, the mix of emotions threatening to take over. He laughed quietly, still overwhelmed, it was the first time he'd fully allowed himself to indulge in the pregnancy.

"Baby Green," he repeated to himself looking back at his hand and what lay beneath it, "Baby Green." A spark inside flickered, this had to mean there was a future for them, "Not Baby Foster?" he brought himself to ask. He felt her hand on his face as it turned it up to hers.

"It's never been Baby Foster. I know things have been tough Danny but I'd never take this from you." All Danny could think was that it had his name, Baby Green, it kept going round. It belonged to him, she knew how much this had meant and despite the recent distance she'd never taken it away. He wanted to announce to world, it's like his heart was going to burst with all the joy and amazement he felt at that moment, like he couldn't keep it in. Danny stood up and looked down into Kara's eyes.

"Thank you." He told her stroking a tear that had escaped off her cheek, the range of emotion she'd seen cross his face, the wonder, awe, happiness and love had caused her to choke slightly.

"It's just hormones," she said slightly embarrassed, smiling. He pulled her into a hug, fully enveloping her, he was kissing the side of her face.

"We'll talk properly later. I just want to let it out, I want to holler and whoop, the world needs joy right now and I feel like I have enough for everyone. Kara, I love you." He hugged her as if he was never going to let her go.

"I love you too." she told him, laughing at this joyful Danny, his pain and hurt from the recent months dominated by the current elation. He wanted to see the dawn on this new day and swung Kara out from behind the locker, she was laughing at this complete change.

"WORLD," Danny shouted out to no one in particular, completely letting himself go but never leaving go of Kara's hand, "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" He laughed and puled Kara back into a hug.

Up on the upper deck a lone night watchman heard laughter float up from the flight deck, it had been a long night and even though it was still early it sounded like people were getting up for the day ahead. He looked out from where the noise came from, the sun on the horizon and he could swear he'd just heard Lt Green announce to world that they were having a baby.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading and all the feedback, enjoy the next chapter. Promise Danny and Kara will be in the next one.

Cdr Garnett knocked on the door to the CO's suite and was ushered in by Lt Cdr Slattery. Earlier that day she'd requested the three of them meet to discuss a potential welfare matter.

"Andrea," he acknowledged her once the door closed.

"Mike," she nodded in return, "Sir," she acknowledged the CO. Behind closed doors the three were rather informal with each other, though both Garnett and Slattery still referred to the CO as 'Sir' unless it was a very informal discussion or social gathering. Never in front of the junior officers or enlisted men would they be caught with this level of familiarity.

"Andrea," Tom said with a smile waving her in, "have a seat, do you want a drink?" She shook her head as she sat down, Mike Slattery lounged, half perched on the CO's desk as Tom took a seat next to him.

"So a welfare matter, which one of our junior officers is pregnant now?" Mike waded straight in there, subtlety had never been one of his strong points, sometimes Andrea though he prided himself on having little tact. As he'd once told her "there's no point in wading round in all the bull sh*t when the end point is the same, the quicker you get there the quicker you can solve the problem." She didn't think he'd be the most supportive of this conversation but was necessary to include him.

"The same one," Andrea told him, putting a hand on her hip and staring at him, mentally willing him not to make any inappropriate comments.

"Is there a problem with Foster?" the CO asked concerned.

"No Sir but I think we need to have a discussion about the pregnancy and the fact that Foster and Green are now linked beyond just an onboard fling. Foster came me and I think she feels vulnerable and alone. This is new for all of us, the world has changed, the Nathan James is pretty _the_ navy now and I know you needed her onboard but there's a lot of questions for both of them regarding their behaviour."

"I needed an ATO, Andrea and she was willing to come back, it's not like there was an abundance of replacements in Norfolk, similarly I need him. In the old world it wouldn't have been a problem because he should've left the ship after we returned from the Artic."

"Or we would've moved her." Slattery pointed out, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen that happen. There was a silence between them as they thought about the old days when rules and regulations were the boundaries within which they existed. This was a new era and Tom Chandler knew that they'd have to start approaching things differently but he felt uncomfortable at changing the old ways that had existed for their safety.

"Sir, I realise we're in the proverbial unchartered waters with this, it would never have happened before, they would've been separated but they're on the same ship and she's having his baby. I know they have both been incredibly professional since it was discovered. The only time I've seen them together was when Foster was in the trials tent and her pregnancy was discovered but she was close to dying, I don't think either of them of cared about the fraternisation rule at that point. It's clear, it wasn't just a one off fling. Green's behaviour when she was sick, his concern over the baby, over Kara and they've been nothing but professional since, they barely talk. He tries to hide it, thinks no one notices but we've all seen him in the wardroom, he just looks at her and she keeps her distance from him. Neither wants to be the one that compromises the mission."

"She's very capable, I can't imagine her being one of those women who treat pregnancy like an illness, I think she'll just get on with it but it's not an easy thing to do on your own." Slattery finally offered up, Andrea wondered if with that comment she had an ally. The CO wasn't an unreasonable man but his primary concern was the safety of his crew and he wouldn't compromise that for the happiness of two individuals.

"I can't allow fraternisation on the ship." The CO said eventually, "I can't put everyone else at risk. It was a close call before in GitMo."

"In all fairness, Sir, it's gone beyond that. She's pregnant and they love each other, saying they can't fraternise is like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted." Garnett was direct.

"Yeah, the ship has definitely sailed on that one." Slattery supported, half laughing at his pun and Andrea couldn't help but stare at him, surprised. She did wonder if he'd had a shot of the bourbon she knew he had hidden in his drawer prior to the meeting. Mike Slattery was a man's man, he liked fishing, barbecuing, good whisky and even better cigars. "They were both punished for fraternising and since then the only time I'm aware they've shown an open display of emotion is the day in the tent."

"I hear what you're saying. Personally, if I'd been told when Darien was pregnant that I could stay in the house with her but not be involved with her, I'd have broken every rule to get to her." He sighed and Garnett could see the internal battle between the father and the Captain on a US naval vessel. He'd never told anybody onboard how close he was to leaving the ship and staying with his family. During the turbulent times with the Russians, Quincy had asked him what he would've done if it had been his family being held hostage. It had haunted him and he didn't know if he could've put the mission first if his family had been in danger. He didn't know how Green and Foster had managed to stay on the ship together, he suspected things might not be particularly good between them. Green had become overly involved with his job as if to distract himself and Foster didn't smile as much as she had. The rule over fraternisation existed to protect the crew but love can be an incredibly powerful strong pull, far stronger as a motivator than hate and could cause more pain than a bullet. Acutely aware that all three in the room had experienced the loss of loved ones recently, Tom wondered if it was cruel keeping two apart that were still alive and creating new life to be part of the new world but this was a naval ship not a love boat. Tom became aware of Mike starting to speak.

"You know, when it came out that Foster was pregnant, I just wanted to go and slap that boy on the back and offer him a cigar. I don't care what you do for a job, nothing makes you feel more like a man than the moment you know you can get a woman pregnant. Something masculine about being able to reproduce." He stated. Andrea face contorted into a mixture of being stunned and horrified.

"Sir," she petitioned CO, "when you speak to Foster and Green, please don't let him talk."

"Obviously, I didn't, that would have been completely inappropriately considering she was basically dying at the time." He told her as if he couldn't believe she thought he would be that insensitive, "In fact, I might have a cigar on his behalf now." He popped a cigar out of his top pocket, stuck it in his mouth and settled back against the CO's desk. He patted his pockets locating the matches and struck a match whilst still chewing on the cigar.

Garnett watched on with a bemused look and Tom coughed just as Mike was about to light the cigar, "Er, Mike." He prompted, gesturing to the office.

"Whoops," Mike guffawed, half jumping away from the desk, waving out the match, "not my office, sorry. Forgot where I was, was thinking about how proud I was whenever Christine and I went out, she'd be like eight months pregnant and I'd swagger next to her, chest puffed out and a big smile. No man should be denied that, even if it is in private. There's those moments where you get to lay your hands on a bump, you feel it kick and it's amazing." He continued to chew the cigar but more absent mindedly as he recalled the past. Tom thought about the times he'd felt his kids kick, he knew they had kicked Darien throughout and so for her it could be uncomfortable especially as they got closer to their due dates. He smiled, he'd have never traded those moments for anything. Times were different now and maybe they needed some new rules in order to accommodate the future.

"You think they should be allowed to meet in private, XO?" The CO use of his title brought Mike back into the professional side of the discussion.

"Personally, yes, professionally, only if it's done with utter discretion, it's not advertised, it's not public, the enlisted men don't know and it's not a green light to the rest of the crew that we've become the 'love boat'." He echoed Tom's earlier thoughts. "They are a family now, it would be different if they didn't want to be together but I think given the chance they'll choose to be a family.

"Andrea?" the Captain asked.

"I'd agree completely with that. I suppose up until recently we've never really had families onboard before" At the beginning of the meeting she had not foreseen she'd be agreeing completely with what Mike Slattery suggested.

Tom nodded, "It's good, I think we all agree. I would also suggest that next time we're in Norfolk, we find them a house. I'm guessing base housing services are no longer running but I'm sure we could find something near my Dad. She can't be at sea with a baby but she's part of the Nathan James family and we look after family here."

"I have plenty of baby stuff there that they can have." Andrea offered up.

Andrea saw Slattery's brown furrow, puzzled and he started to open his mouth as if to say something, then clearly thought better of it, shutting his mouth with a snap.

"So we're all agreed on this?" the Captain asked, "we'll talk to them tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

Lt Green searched the p-way and couldn't see Lt Foster, she hadn't been at scran this morning, which was unusual, normally it was the first awkward meeting of the day but she hadn't been at breakfast today. The XO had told him that they were both to report to the CO's cabin at 0800. There'd been no hint of what it was about, Danny wondered if his reckless abandonment of the fraternisation rule on the flight deck had gotten them both in trouble again. Surely not though, it was early and they hadn't seen another soul. It was 0715 and he needed to find her to pass on the message. He knocked on her cabin door and Lt Granderson opened up, she was still pinning up her hair.

"Lieutenant," she greeted him, sounding almost unimpressed by his early interruption. He forced himself to smile.

"Lieutenant," he returned, "I'm looking for Lt Foster."

"She's not here," Granderson said, pointing out the obvious because he could see beyond her that the cabin was empty.

He continued to force the smile, "Do you know where she is?"

"She's in the bathroom, as she is every day at this time." she stared at him, then pursed her lips, he really hadn't got the hint she was dropping, "She's being sick, Danny."

"Oh, I didn't know. I didn't realise." He felt a slight redness creep onto his face, why didn't he know this? Oh, yeah because they hadn't spoken properly recently and Kara hadn't told him. Alisha saw his discomfort and softened. She didn't know what was going on between them and she suspected that the two of them possibly had no clue what was going on either. She shared a lot with Kara through living together but with regards to Danny and the baby it was a don't ask, don't tell policy. Kara didn't want to implicate Alisha by telling her when they were breaking the rules and Alisha didn't want to pry. With regards to talking about the baby, there was a little more openness, behind the closed door of the cabin it was like Kara could acknowledge the pregnancy without worrying about looking weak. Alisha was grateful that she could share that with her friend, it felt like any element of trust that could've been destroyed in Baltimore still existed, in fact it was stronger now. Recently there had been a slight strain about Kara but yesterday Granderson had heard her singing in the shower. It had been a long time since she'd heard her singing in the shower, it had started in the Artic and stopped after the almost failed mission Foster and Green had been involved with at Guantanomo Bay.

"You and Kara really need to talk about things." She sighed and he nodded.

"I know and we will. I missing out on a lot, I'm not exactly winning any prizes here in the best dad category." He stated matter of factly. Granderson felt bad for being short with him earlier.

"She's not the easiest of people to talk to," she conceded, letting Danny know that it wasn't all his fault, "And it's all fixable. My daddy used to say 'One mouth, two ears, so you should listen twice as much as you talk' but sometimes the other person has to speak for you to hear." She opened up the door a bit further, "Kara didn't take her toothbrush, normally I'd take it to her but I don't think that's my job today. She's in the aft heads." She passed him the toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Won't there be others in there? I don't want to be caught in the women's heads, I've already been punished once," he joke, the opportunity to do something for Kara had left a little twinkle in his eye and his sombre mood had lifted.

"No, we leave Kara in peace, give her some space when she's feeling crappy." Alisha told him and he felt some wonder in the solidarity between the female crew, the way they banded together to support each other just by doing minor things, always looking out for one another. Something as simple as letting someone throw up in peace or taking them a toothbrush could make a huge diffrerence.

"That's really nice of you all, I'm sure she appreciates it. I'd best get this to her." He turned and made his way back aft, calling briefly at his cabin for a bottle of water and a towel, he'd nursed enough hangovers to know the essentials. When he got the heads he hesitated, wondering if he should knock. He knocked gently and let himself in, only to be greeted by the sound of heaving coming from a locked stall. Hearing someone thrown up was never good, knowing it was because she was pregnant and so somewhat his fault made him feel bad.

"Kara?" he said once the head had finished flushing. "Are you ok?"

"Danny? What are you doing here?" She asked surprised, she rolled her eyes, this was not an attractive version of herself that she wanted him to see. She heard him move to the stall.

"Brought your toothbrush."

"Thanks, just leave it in the sink," came the dismissive reply and he rested his forehead against the door of the stall, his hand pressed flat against the cool surface, he fought the need to sigh in frustration.

"Kara, sweetheart, let me in," he gently coaxed.

"I don't want you to see me like this." She wasn't a vain woman but she still wanted him to find her attractive and the idea of him seeing her looking like this made her want to cry.

"Kara, if we're going to do this together, I need you to open up and let me in." he was more commanding this time. _'Right Green,'_ he had a mental chat with himself, _'get a grip, today you've taken advice from a lesbian and you're moping like a teenage girl with no prom date, this is not the man you are. You don't know anything about pregnancy or babies but you are strong, caring man and you can learn. Get a grip, get in there and be the man she needs.'_ "Damn it Kara, I'm not going anywhere." he told her firmly. He turned and ran the cold water tap, dunking half of the towel under it, then wringing it out. He then sat next to the stall and poked his hand underneath, hoping she would take it.

In the stall, Kara was having her own mental chat. _'This is what you needed to hear, he doesn't care right now that you look like crap, he's seen looking worse. That dying look didn't score you any points and he wasn't running then. Get a grip of yourself, Foster, don't push him away again.'_ She noticed his hand under the door and tentatively placed hers in it, the moment he felt her, almost reflexively his hand closed, holding her firmly. After a few moments, his grip relaxed and they sat in silence, holding hands. Kara reached up for the lock.

Green sat, not wanting to let go, this would be enough for today, he couldn't dare ask for more, when he heard the bolt slide back on the door, the door sprung back a couple of inches and he saw Kara staring through the gap at him, he cocked his head and looked into her hazel eyes, to him she had never been more beautiful. After a few seconds he passed her the open bottle of water with his free hand. It reminded him of the days when water was scarce and they'd sat in the hanger together, powerless to do anything but exchange glances. He'd have given her his last bottle of water if it had gotten to that point. She took it from him, smiled at his thoughtfulness and took a sip.

"Thanks," she said, he silently passed her the damp towel and she wiped her face. It felt really good, cool and refreshing. The stall was fairly small but somehow Danny managed to scooch in next to Kara, the limited space meant they had to be close and he put his arm around her, comforting and protecting. She relaxed back against him, the recent vomiting suddenly making her feel light headed.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were going through this." He brushed the hair off her face and kissed the top of the head.

"It's not exactly something I'm advertising. How did you know I was here?"

"Granderson, she told me. She thought I was a jackass for not knowing you were being sick."

Kara looked up at him in quizzical bemusement, "she told you that?"

"No but I could tell. I wish you'd told me, I feel like I'm missing out, like I'm the worst..." he paused, "most unsupportive…" he tried again, damn it difficult was to define this label, was he boyfriend, partner, father-to-be? "I feel like I'm not involved and letting you down."

Kara, cupped his stubbled chin and he stopped talking. "Danny, it's ok. I didn't know how involved you wanted to be, there's been so much go on and this is not exactly pleasant."

"But it's partly my fault you're going through this. I want to be here." He slowly rubbed her stomach and she laughed,

"You're right there and you know when I'm giving birth and it's horrendous, it's going to be all your fault." She teased, placing her hand on top of his and he smiled, everything seemed right between them.

"We can't keep building walls between us Kara, we really do need to talk." He broached the subject of a serious chat.

"I know, how about tonight?"

"Sounds good." He looked at his watch: 0740. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded and took a swig of water.

"I came to find you to say we've been summoned to see the Captain and XO at 0800, his office." She looked at him, frowning, her eyes asking an unspoken 'why?' "Yeah, I don't know either." He responded, both of them struggling to stand up and move out of the stall. He pulled her in, then kissed her forehead, "You'd best clean your teeth," he said with a wink and grin, "I'll see you there at 0755."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks reading, I hope you're still enjoying it.

Both Foster and Green stood to attention in the CO's office, the CO sat behind his desk, the XO stood at his side, Cdr Garnett stood at the back. Danny wasn't sure why she was there, didn't know if this was a good meeting or one where they'd be told they'd been caught together – again. He loved the Navy and his priority was the mission but a little voice in the back of his head kept reminding him he had another 'mission' now.

"So, you're probably wondering why you've been summoned," the Captain started soberly, "I'll start first off with that you're not in trouble, this is just a chat that I think we need to have."

Danny felt even more puzzled as to why they were here, the word "chat" sounded informal but the seriousness of the CO's voice suggested otherwise.

"We've been considering how to manage your situation, I think it's fair to say that we're in a unique position of having a pregnant woman on board and both parents having to work together. Normally, this would be resolved by moving one of you to a shore establishment or another ship but since we seem to be _the_ navy right now, that wasn't exactly an option, also the lack of trained personnel and the fact you are both excellent at your jobs meant I didn't wish to see either of you leave my crew. I think it was a brave and right decision for you to remain on the ship, Lt Foster." He smiled at her, he respected her determination to continue and the fact that she behaved as she always had done, never expecting any special treatment or dispensation. "It has been noted that you are both focused on the mission and keeping within the boundaries of the no fraternisation rule, despite the pregnancy." He paused for a moment, thinking that it would have been easier if they kept within those boundaries from the start, then they wouldn't be having this conversation. "Which is perhaps causing some strain on your relationship and family life." He looked at the XO to take over.

"We're all parents in this room and we're not unreasonable, we know what it's like to go through a pregnancy either as the mother or the father and that you need support through it. We're also acutely aware that the world has irreversibly changed so support during a time such as pregnancy now is more important than ever. We are here to support you, we can offer advice and where possible make things easier for you as time progresses." He finished.

"We also recognise that you need time together, so with this in mind we have come to the following decision," the CO stared at them, his face still serious, aware that he was saying words that he never thought he would ever say in his career, "We are going to relax the no fraternisation rule for you both." He saw the look of surprise on both Green and Foster's faces, "however, this is to be done with the utmost discretion. It is not to be made public that this conversation has taken place and you do not fraternise in front of other crewmembers whilst on board. If I find out you are being less than discreet, we will be having a very different conversation. I cannot have this disrupt the ship and crew. I do not wish to be having this conversation with another pair of crew in six months time because they thought it was ok to fraternise since the rule had been relaxed for you both. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," both Green and Foster replied in unison, matching his level of intent with the seriousness in their voices. Tom Chandler softened, he felt he'd made his point and they understood.

"You can stand at ease now because he comes the nice bit," he said smiling at them. Kara and Danny relaxed, "I'd like to congratulate you both on the pregnancy. I don't think we really got chance when it was first discovered."

Danny thought back to the moment on the flight deck when the CO had approached him. When he first saw him making his way over he wished he could paused time, for he had been convince he was coming to tell him that Kara was dying or even dead. The fear and pain that had built up in him, had sat like a ball in his chest, almost stopping him from breathing. For a few seconds he'd had to remind himself to breathe, watching the Captain get closer, closer to telling him that Kara was dead, he didn't know what he would do now without her. He'd been so prepared to hear the bad news that it took a second for it to register what the CO had said. When he'd seen her though, he knew he'd been told because she was dying. Prior to going he'd asked if he could be the one to tell her she was pregnant and he'd been warned that things were not looking good but he hadn't really heard as in his head he was trying to work out what to say to her. Then he'd seen her and all thoughts of telling her about the baby disappeared, he could only tell her not to leave him and that he loved her. So this was why he'd been told because this was goodbye. He'd always considered the prospect of children being a long way off and before this point, the concept of having Kara as their mother hadn't even crossed his mind but now when things were at breaking point, when everything was on the verge of being taken away from him, he realised how desperately he wanted it. It was strange to desperately want something you hadn't known you desired until it was at risk of going away forever.

"We've had so much go on and you've both contributed to spreading the success of the cure and vaccine, behaving professionally, it's been easy to almost overlook," Tom Chandler continued, "but here on the Nathan James, we're a family and so we should be celebrating. We've had more deaths on this ship in the recent weeks than I care to remember, so it is with joy that we can have this to look forward to."

Slattery cleared his throat, "It really is the most amazing thing being a parent, I know things have changed, you probably won't have scheduling conflicts between little league and ballet but kids are kids. They have these little hands and these little smiles, the first time they smile at you, it'll stop your heart and you almost won't believe you made that," The XO moved out from behind the desk and grinned broadly, "Congratulations to you both." He turned to Danny and place a hand firmly on his shoulder, "Come to my office later, I've got a ci…." He caught Andrea's look of disdain and shaking of her head, "Something for you," he backtracked in time.

"Right, XO, I believe we're due on the bridge," The CO felt it was time to finish before Mike said something inappropriate, he knew Mike was struggling to come to terms with the death of his children and he wondered if the reaction to Lt Foster and Green would've been the same if he knew they were alive. He wasn't worried though, Mike was sound, he'd always been this way and was perfect XO. He could be the one to fear - if you messed up, you knew it, as had these two when they were originally found out but he also had a soft side. Perhaps it was all about balance, recently there had been some hard-nosed, tactical decisions to make on the bridge but to keep life on an even keel the soft side had to have an outlet and this was it.

"Yes Sir, let's go to work," The XO replied.


	7. Chapter 7

The XO had caught up with Danny later that afternoon, it was almost time to chop and he was just sorting some weapon stowage in the armoury. He'd told Danny to meet him at his office in ten minutes and that where Danny found himself now, sat in the XO's suite, he wasn't really sure what was going on right now. It was like being back at school and the teacher started talking to you as if you were and adult and not a child, he felt as if he was skating on marbles and could fall at any time. Mike Slattery was busying himself at a locker, clinking some glasses, he came over, two glasses in one hand and motioned for Danny to take one. As Danny took one, he caught the scent of the brown liquid – bourbon.

"Bourbon, Sir?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Mike," Slattery corrected, "not just bourbon, have a cigar as well." He handed a cigar over to the somewhat stunned Lt and Danny took it, not knowing what else to do.

"The bourbon, Sir, aren't we dry."

"Mike," he corrected again, "as for dry, savour that because you're only having one, enough to celebrate but not enough to get intoxicated and this doesn't leave this office."

"Yes, Sir," Danny quickly agreed.

"You're struggling with the 'Mike' thing, aren't you?" he asked amused at the young Lt.

"Yes, Sir. I don't really know what's going on right now." Danny figured it was best to be honest. Mike popped his cigar into his mouth and started to strike a match, he paused and looked at Danny,

"You're still sat with your cigar in it's wrapper, so just to clarify, do you mind if I smoke?" he asked as if Danny saying 'no' would stop him.

"No." Danny said, feeling like the XO would smoke regardless of his answer.

"Good," he lit up the cigar and took a couple of puffs, savouring the taste on his tongue. He thoughtfully exhaled.

"I like you Danny, despite past indiscretions, which I think you handled well, not many people could've done that." he referred to Danny having to explain to his subordinates about how he'd almost blown the Gitmo mission, he'd done it with honesty and humbly, asking for his team to forgive him. It had earnt him a lot of respect and Mike had been right, he had used his natural leadership talents to come out stronger. "I want you to know that I have an open door policy for you to come to me, unless the door is closed, in which case it's not open."

"Sir," Danny acknowledged the comment but still had no idea why he was there.

"When Christine first found out she was pregnant with my boy, we were sailing round the Gulf, routine patrol. It was back when I was younger, my marriage was still good and it something we both wanted but I couldn't be at home to share that with Christine. The only other person on the ship within my divisional system who could understand was my XO. He was a brilliant man and if I thought I was anything like him, I'd consider myself to be a good XO. He had kids, that night he got me in his office, poured me a drink and gave me a cigar. He said "Slattery, you're man now. This isn't just about you anymore. You're working for your family now." After that, any bad days at sea, I just reminded myself it wasn't always about me. Your family can get you through the hard times, the times you think it might be over, you push harder because you don't give up on your family." Mike tried not to think about the fact that he'd given up on his family, he'd given up hope of finding them alive. In some ways he envied Andrea Garnett, knowing for sure her family had gone. He just knew for definite his boy had gone but Christine and the girls….. he assumed that they too had succumbed, after all they had been in the house when his boy died, they'd been exposed. So he chose to fight for the family he still had on board the Nathan James. His marriage had not been good, towards the end, just before the Artic, his wife had accused him of always putting the navy first. He guessed in the end she was right, he'd come back to the Nathan James instead of looking for them. It had in some ways been easier, nothing had ever been said officially but Mike was sure Tom Chandler had had the toughest decision of his life to make when he had to decide between looking after his family or continuing the mission. He looked at Green now sat in front of him, this poor kid had all this to come. He had the loyalty, determination and the grit to succeed, he was great at his job, a natural leader but he too was going to have to make a decision about whether to put his family first or keep going with the mission. He knocked back his drink, realising he'd tailed off mid-story and Green was just still looking at him.

"The CO's right, we're family now. Most of us have no idea what has happened to biological family but on here we'll look out for each other. I just wanted you to know you could come here for any help or advice. You also should know that despite this being a warship, you should be able to be excited about your baby." Mike Slattery inhaled deeply on his cigar and then blew out smoke rings in a casual manner. From the way he lounged in his chair, smoking, Danny thought you could be forgiven for thinking they were talking about something as trivial as the weather but this wasn't trivial and Mike was doing everything he could to make it seem less intense.

"Thank you Sir, I appreciate that. Right now, I'm not sure excited is one of the words I'd use to describe how I feel," Danny swallowed, this was the opportunity, here was someone here who had been through this, "Normally I'd have talked to my dad about this but I don't know where he is right now and I don't know if I should tell Kara because I need her to have confidence in me. I feel clueless, which in turn makes me feel like I'm doing things wrong but I just don't know anything about this. I've always been so secure in my job as a sailor, as a soldier, you do drill after drill, practise and hone skills so that it becomes second nature and I know I can do my job, I'm confident that I can succeed in my professional role but this is a whole different matter, I'm not really sure what I'm meant to do now." Danny felt that he could finally admit this to someone without sounding like a failure and it felt good to say it outloud. Danny was staring intently into the glass of whiskey as if to purposely avoid eye contact. Slattery looked at him, realising that he really didn't know this was how most men felt when told they were going to be fathers for the first time.

"Awh, Danny, If it makes you feel any better, with my first, I had no idea. I was elated, followed by scared and clueless, then I read a book so then I was informed and scared shitless but, I'm going to be honest with you, you've done your part, you kinda have to sit on the sidelines now for the next few months. Let that baby cook for a while, then you get to play an active role again. Once the baby's born it's a whole new ball game because those critters do not behave like they tell you do they do in the books, they're little people with their own personalities and ideas. For now though you just have to support Kara, the days when there's tears or days of insecurities, you just have to be there."

"So this is normal then?" Danny asked, finally looking up, sounding more confident.

"Very normal, I'd say even more so now that the world has changed so much. If you approach this pregnancy the way you approach work, with a clear, calm mind, logic and reason, you'll succeed. It's just a bit different to the usual mission. It's not a weakness not to know something, the weakness is to not be accepting and adapting to the situation. Adapt and overcome."

"I think that's why I find it hard because normally I'm confident about my abilities, it's unusual for me to be like this and I don't like it. It's like being out of control." he laughed self-consciously, trying to make light of his need for order and control.

"Ha, with kids you soon get used to that feeling." Slattery reassured, recalling the amount of time he'd found his heart racing because his kids were not where they should be or doing what they should be. It had lessened as they got older and were more capable, then you just went on to worry about which college they were going to or if you were going smell wacky baccy on their clothes and they'd shave off their hair. The one he always had feared were the arguments where he'd be blamed for all the problems they had and that they wished he wasn't their father however the virus had seen to it that they had never happened. "I see in you a lot of what I went through first time round, that's why the door is always open. You have to enjoy the good moments in life and this is a good time, put aside the fear and embrace the happiness."

Danny smiled at him, appreciative. No one wants to admit to being out of control and sometimes all it takes is for someone you respect to admit they too had been in the same position and it becomes more acceptable. When he first came in he hadn't expected this kind of open conversation, he could see what the XO was attempting to do and for a superior officer to talk to him openly about his own life and past meant a lot. Mike Slattery genuinely did care.

"Thanks Mike," Danny said his name easily this time, at this moment there was no rank, they had become peers. True it existed only within this cabin, outside the professional boundaries were still in place, Slattery would give orders and Green would obey but something beyond that now existed. Danny felt he'd been accepted as something beyond a young Lt, who had joined temporarily for an Arctic deployment. He threw back his drink and grinned at Mike, he unwrapped the cigar and held it up, "Let's celebrate then."

"Welcome to the world of parenthood," Mike replied, striking a match, "it's one of the greatest things you'll ever do."


	8. Chapter 8

It's a long one tonight, just hope it doesn't disappoint. Just finished my course at university, so some of this is probably stress writing, hopefully it'll make sense. Thank you for reading. PS, there's a little bit where it's a little bit suggestive, just in case anyone might get offended but it's not smutty.

There hadn't been much time to talk after the meeting but Kara and Danny had agreed to get together at Danny's cabin after evening scran, neither were on watch and Danny felt sure he'd heard Tex talk about some poker game that evening.

Tex watched from his bunk, as Danny stood in front of the mirror putting on some moisturiser, in the last 36 hours something had changed. He'd disappeared early morning yesterday and came back a different man. He rather suspected a certain KFC without the C was involved and he hoped they'd worked something out because those kids deserved a chance.

"What's going on, buddy?" he asked conversationally. Danny turned and looked at him, smiling coyly, replied with.

"Nothing." He turned back to the mirror, singing a tuneless beat under his breathe and applied some aftershave.

"I see you're applying aftershave, which you haven't done for a while and I'm guessing it's not for me, so I'm going to go with date night, with the lovely Lt Foster." Tex cockily assumed.

"Shut up," Danny told him with a smile, a smile which confirmed everything Tex had just said, "So, erm, weren't you playing poker tonight?" he tried to sound casual but knew Tex was onto him.

"Woooooo," Tex hollered, "trying to get rid of me, it must be a big night." He enjoyed winding Danny up and Danny knew it was pointless to keep fighting,

"Ok" he conceded, throwing his hands up and laughing, "She's coming over and yes, I would like the cabin to ourselves, just for an hour or so. We could maybe do with some privacy."

"Danny, that poor girl is already pregnant, you don't need to touch her anymore, though I suppose you can't get her pregnant twice." He said with a smirk, wondering if he'd pushed his banter too far this time. Danny's amused look and dismissive shake of the head told him that he was safe,

"That's not what this is about. She's coming over to talk." He told him firmly.

"Hallelujah," he raised his hands up, in mock worship, "about time!" He jumped down off the top bunk and made his way to exit. As if he'd just been hit by an after-thought, Tex turned, "You should maybe tell that gal she's looks beautiful, women like that."

"Yeah, 'cos I see it working so well for you and the Doc." Danny scoffed back. Earlier he'd had advice from a lesbian and now from Tex, what was going on with world? Out of the three of them he seemed to be having the most functional relationship, after all he was the one with a "date" tonight whilst Tex was still chasing Dr Scott and Alisha….. well he had no idea what was going on with her personal life.

As if on cue there was a knock at the door and Tex swung the door open, "Kara, hi, you're looking lovely tonight." He said jovially. Kara smiled, looking pleased but also slightly taken aback,.

"Er, thanks." She said somewhat a taken back at the speed of the door opening and Tex's vibrant mood. Tex turned to Danny, with a look that said "See." Danny smiled as he rolled his eyes, he cleared his throat and inclined his head towards the door as if to remind Tex to leave, Tex registered the hint.

"Well, I'm going to go see Dr Scott, I haven't bugged her for a least a couple of days." He ushered her into the cabin as he stepped out, the door closing behind sealing them in. Kara sighed, they were going to have to discuss some stuff tonight, she didn't want to discuss anything heavy and wondered if they could postpone it to another time, right now she wanted to enjoy being together. Danny stepped over, took her hands and leaned down to kiss her. He felt her smile beneath his lips and she raised a hand to his face, the fingers of her other hand firmly interlaced with his. Danny broke away and said with a cheeky smile, "I'm just not sure it's as exciting now that we've been given permission."

Kara playfully swatted at his shoulder, her lips twisted into a playful grin, "You'd best not have been in for just the excitement. I hate to break it to you but it's going to be a little bit more long term than that."

Danny dropped into a crouch, following his earlier conversation with the XO, he embraced this feeling of excitement, rather than pushing it away because he felt he didn't know what he was doing.

"Been," he addressed the baby and placed his hand on her lower stomach, "this is your father, you will always listen to this voice." He told it with calm authority, he looked at Kara who, stared down at him, one eyebrow cocked, "And also to your mother's." he said quickly, he smiled the dazzling smile he knew she loved.

"You look ridiculous," she said, laughing, "talking to my stomach."

"Yeah but you love it really," he told her knowingly with the same smile.

"I really do," she admitted unashamedly. There was silence for a moment and slowly, with his palm still in place he stroked her tummy with his thumb, considering the little life below it.

"This baby will be ok, Kara," he said reassuringly, even though she hadn't asked for it, "He's a little bit of you and little bit of me and we're doing ok."

Kara cupped his face tenderly, "We're doing more than ok, Danny." she said softly. He swallowed, she was right, sometimes the odds seemed stacked against them but right now, they were all their favour….. until the next mission. He pushed that thought aside, this was his time now with her and he would savour every moment. She swallowed, almost awkwardly as if trying to fight the words that were about to come out of her mouth, "I guess we should talk."

 _"_ _No,"_ he wanted to shout, he didn't want to discuss the real things, for right now it was just the three of them. For a while they could make believe that there weren't difficult things to discuss or hard decisions to be made ahead. "Yeah, sure, " he heard himself say, he stood up and a kissed her, "whatever is said, I love you." He lead her over to the bunk, there wasn't much headroom and he wasn't sure what was the appropriate way to sit. He wanted to lay there with her in his arms, as if they would shield her and Been from the hard world in which they now lived. If he had it his way he'd stay like that until the baby was born and able to look after itself. He knew in reality though that Kara would never appreciate being cocooned like that, protected and wrapped in cotton wool. It was one of things he loved about her, the ability to strive and be independent. They both sort of perched on the edge of the bunk, a little bit awkward, when they used to talk before it had been in the wardroom when no one else was around, time together in cabins were usually limited to dropping by for a brief chat with the door open so not to arouse suspicion. Sex was a different matter, it had usually been opportune moments in areas of the ship with no camera coverage and unlikely chance of getting caught, cabins had been too risky. It made him wonder when and where Been had been conceived, possibly the showers or maybe the equipment store which Green had commandeered for the kit he and Frankie had brought onboard for the team in the arctic. His slight daydream had left him with a tiny smile playing at his lips, his awareness was such that he knew this train of thought could lead down a dangerous path and he tried to pull back from those memories. Kara noticed the look on his face.

"What's made you smile like that?" she asked curiously. Her body language softened as she leaned in towards him and he relaxed a little, leaning towards her, their shoulders brushing.

"I was thinking about when it was we made Been, one thought lead to another and I was back in that shower, you sure knew how to warm a guy up after he'd spent all day in the snow, babysitting a scientist." There had been several joint showers but this had been particularly memorable.

"You weren't the only one who enjoyed that shower." Kara reminded him suggestively, her eyes dancing playfully. She placed a hand on his thigh, it was too high to be an innocent move and loaded with implication. He drew in a breath sharply, her touch was electric.

"Damn it Kara, don't do that," he warned playfully, "don't look at me that way or else there won't be any talking tonight." as he looked into her eyes, her bright, playful eyes, he could feel his resolve slipping and Danny felt the first stirrings or arousal, not really where he need his mind to be focused tonight, they had needed this talk for some time. The only shower he should be thinking about right now was a cold one.

She didn't know if it was the hormones or the fact that they'd not been together for a while but Kara knew she was being shamelessly suggestive with Danny, she couldn't help it. The last few weeks of longing looks and exchanged glances had made her realise that she missed him and the way he made her feel. Kara withdrew her hand and took a deep breath to compose and gather herself.

"OK," she said, this was going to be harder than she thought but he was right, tonight was for talking. "One last kiss though" she said quickly, swooping in towards him before he could react. She would behave herself after this. She felt some initial resistance in his lips as his mind took a second to register her surprise attack but it quickly disappeared and he folded her into his arms, fully reciprocating the kiss. At that moment the ship rolled heavily to one side, a rogue wave causing it to heave, the already precariously balanced Green and Foster tipped into the bunk and Danny crashed head first into the bulkhead. Even though she was not heavy, Kara's weight falling with him caused the impact to be much harder. Danny's strangled cry shattered the mood instantly like a crystal vase hitting the floor. For some reason, despite the pain Danny laughed, the spell broken, he moved the hand not supporting Kara and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow," he could feel the start of a bump appearing.

"Are you ok?" Kara asked, her hand over her mouth, half laughing.

"it's not funny, it really hurts," he chastised her whilst laughing himself.

"Let me look," she said, starting to move her hand to his head, he caught her hand before it could go too far.

"No, it'll hurt if you touch, I cracked it hard," he said, hoping his eyes weren't going to tear up. It really had been a hard hit.

"Don't be a baby," she told him firmly, removing her hand from his grasp. Gently she ran her fingers over the emerging bump and he winced.

"There's definitely a bump there, in fact it's possibly bigger than Been right now." Her comment acted as a prompt for something he'd been meaning to ask.

"About that, does your bump sometimes get smaller? The other day you had a little bump but today there's hardly anything." he sounded confused but also curious. Kara smiled, so he had been looking at her. In the last days she'd caught him looking in her direction and she didn't know if he was staring at her or staring into the distance and she was just in his eyeline.

"You noticed that too? Yeah, sometimes Been is a bump and then sometimes I just look normal. I don't really know why it changes, I guess eventually I'll have a bump that just gets bigger." She shrugged, not like there was a midwife nearby to ask. The ship roll had left them half lying on the bunk together and Kara relaxed back as Danny intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I'm really looking forward to feeling him kick." He told her.

"He, you think it's a boy?" she asked surprised.

"I have no idea, boy or girl, whatever it is, so long as Been is healthy and immune to virus, I don't care."

"In that case, it'll be a few more weeks before you feel _her_ kick," she said with a smile, "I don't care either, boy or girl. I saw him y'know, tiny little Been on the screen."

"Really, I wish I'd been there. When was that?" Danny wondered if he'd missed out again. Kara swallowed hard,

"Baltimore," she said, the word heavy.

"We never really talked about that, what happened there." The chance to be alone and discuss it had never arisen, since then they'd been through more but they needed to talk about it now. He'd known she had been at Granderson's HQ but once he'd seen her safe on the ship and he knew he could be there to get to her, he didn't worry too much. After her heard her next comment he thought he should've made more effort to talk about it.

"They tried to take the baby." She simply said.

"We…. I….." he faltered, took a deep breath in and continued, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it and I should've made more effort to talk to you about it, once you were safe back on the ship, I just…." He tailed off. Kara looked up and gently kissed him, letting him know it was ok but he turned his head away from her.

"No, you didn't. I probably didn't want to tell you, I've been trying to forget it. As for being there to stop it, you were on a mission. We've been there before where a mission was almost compromised to try keep me safe and I never expected you to come save us, don't beat yourself up about it, Danny. Don't make it a thing you dwell on." She placed two fingers under his chin and turned his head to look at her, staring fiercely into his eyes, she told him, "we are both fine, we are both safe and we're both still here."

"I don't know what I would've done if…" he started.

"Danny, don't. It's done now. You had a job and you did it and because of you the lights went out. Do you know how close to my stomach he was with that needle when the lights went out? Millimetres, he was so close to Been and there was nothing I could do about it. You came through for us."

"But this is just the tip of the iceberg, I don't know if I'll always be able to come through for you. What if something happens and I'm not here."

"But what if something happens and you are here? You can't always protect us, I could fall down a hatch or heaven forbid - fall overboard. You can't be around all the time." She reasoned logically with him.

"I know," he sighed, he drew in a deep breath, "I'm not sure what to do when you leave, do I stay with the ship or come off and be with you? I don't know what you want, I don't know what you think I should do. I keep thinking it over."

"I can't tell you what to do. Whatever you choose will be ok. I have to confess, I did try to make the decision for you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I didn't want you to have to choose. I knew you'd be torn. I don't have a choice, I will have to leave the ship, it's not a place for a baby, it's no place to have a baby. The future is uncertain and so it could be later than twenty weeks but I will have to leave. I know the mission is important to you and the ship will want you to stay, so I didn't want you to have to make the decision. The last thing I would want is for you to stay with me and be constantly wishing you were still on the ship, I couldn't bear to make you unhappy. So I thought it would be easier to push you away, so that the decision would easier."

"You'd never make me unhappy but you can't make that decision for me, Kara. Whatever decision I make will mean that someone feel let down."

"That's why I plan on going back to Norfolk because I'll be with my mom, so I won't be alone. You wouldn't be obliged to stay."

"Obligation has never been a part of it, sure the situation right now is not ideal and it would be fair to say that Been was an accident…"

"You hit the bulls eye with that one." Kara commented, "I always thought if I was to ever have children it would be….." she stopped herself because she didn't want to sound like this baby was unwanted.

"Would be what, Kara?" Danny pressed, he needed to hear how she felt, maybe he had be wrong to assume she was happy with this. "Planned?" he continued.

"Yes, planned." She said very quickly, "I always thought I would be this responsible woman who had children when it was right. Right time in my career, right time with someone I love and was in a stable, long-term relationship with. I never thought I'd get pregnant by mistake."

"I don't think those "right" times exist anymore, Kara but I'm not going anywhere, I'm the long-term, stable man and we're in this together. It means we talk about this, you can't just make the decision for me. Do you see Been as a mistake?" his eyes narrowed, concerned that she would say yes. Her brow furrowed as she considered her answer.

"Mistake is the wrong word, it would imply I wished it hadn't happened and had regrets. So no, Been is not a mistake," he breathed a small sigh of relief, he wanted her to want this as much as he did, "I think the risk of losing him in Baltimore made me realise how important this is to me. Been is an accident but a happy one. I always felt that whatever happens and whatever the choices you make, it would be ok because as I'd always hold a little piece of you with me in our child." Danny tightened the arm that was still around her when she said this, pulling her in close, he loved the way she said "our child", "It's raised a few questions though and I didn't want to just assume you'd want to be involved, I did want you to feel you were trapped by this." She finished.

"The day I found out you were pregnant was the start of our life together, I looked at you and you were so sick, I begged you never to leave me. How in turn could you think I would ever choose to leave you? I'll be honest, I thought Norfolk would be different. I kept waiting for you to tell your mom, to be able to be more relaxed together, I wanted to take your hand and just hold it and not have to pretend but then you never told her. You introduced me as your 'friend' and it made me wonder what was going on. It seemed like there was more to it than staying there out of obligation to her, I felt hurt by it, it's almost like I wasn't important to you." She heard the hurt in his voice and realised that she should've introduced him differently but saying – _"Mom, this is the man I love, he loves me, he's the father of my child and our relationship is awkward as we're on a naval ship together where fraternisation is not allowed."_ would've brought up a lot of questions. Questions that at the time had no answers, some of which still had no answers.

"If I had told her, she'd have asked me to stay and at the time I didn't need that option because it would've been an easy one to take. I could've made sure she had been ok, I could've set up a home for myself and the baby, the dangers would've been less and it would've been incredibly tempting if the offer had been made. My relationship with my mother has always been role reversed, I've always felt like the adult looking after her as the child, especially in the latter years but she seems to have changed since the virus and when we saw her, if she'd asked she would've been trying to prove she could be dependable. I'm incredibly independent Danny, I've had to grow up early with an alcoholic mother and maybe right now I feel like I could do with someone looking out for me but if I allow someone in I may start to depend on them too much. I need to know I can raise this child on my own." He listened to her and realised she had a tough shell and kept it that way to avoid being let down.

"Why did you think you would be raising this child on your own?" he asked, he couldn't work out where in her mind he had gone, at what point had he left her?

"I didn't think you would choose me," she said in a small, almost child-like voice. The he realised, all through her life, people had chosen something other than her, it was what made her tough, it's what made her put up these walls to stop people getting in. His confident Kara, the one whose smile could brighten his day, suddenly appeared vulnerable, she'd pushed him away, refused to let him in and it was all to protect herself. The sad fact, he realised, was that he had almost let her, he had taken it personally that she hadn't introduced him as anything more than friend. He had been the one to push her away from the start, the night he told her "I love you – stay away from me." hadn't helped, yet in the back of his mind knew the damage hadn't been permanent, she'd risked everything to get to him when he'd collapsed with Dengue fever, it was her actions that had exposed them but it was those actions that had reassured him that he meant something to her. He had started to deconstruct that mental wall she had built to keep people out.

"Needing someone to help or support you, doesn't make you weak, Kara." He stroked her hair, "it makes you human. In the old world, we'd have had few of these problems, I'd like to think we'd have been getting a house together, buying furniture, putting up a swing set in the back yard. We'd have had barbecues where friends could visit our home, they'd comment on how beautiful you looked and how big your bump was. It'd have been normal and I'd have been there throughout. We'd be Kara and Danny with the baby on the baby, not Foster and Green stuck on a tin can, sneaking in visits and keeping secrets." he was grateful to the CO for allowing them to have discreet time together but when would these moments stop being enough? His dream of them in bed together, just being able to spend the night in the same bed, a double bed, resurfaced and was teasing him. Whilst they both remained on the ship there would never be that degree of normalcy, there were creating a new norm for themselves.

"That sounds amazing, it sounds normal and functional." It was probably something they'd never get but imagining them together in their own home softened Kara, she realised that Danny wouldn't have left her before and he had no intention of leaving her now. He was telling her that he had no plans to abandon her, he loved her. He'd done it before though but things were different now.

"It won't happen overnight but please let me in, please accept that I am now part of your life. I once told you to stay away from me, I thought I was doing the right thing at the time, the baby has changed things though. I can't tell you what I will do when you have to leave the ship, right now, I don't know what decision I will make but we will make it together. I can tell you that now but we have to talk more and stop assuming, stop pushing each other away because we're afraid of hurt and loss. You told me that Been will never be a mistake because it means you will always have a piece of me with you. Do you know how I feel? Exactly the same, we are now intrinsically linked and nothing will change that. You have no idea how much you meant to me, you're my family, I'm not letting you go." He told her and he would tell her this every day until she stopped pulling away and would let him in.

"I love you Daniel Green and I don't ever want to let you go, you will always have a place in my heart and a part of my soul belongs to you.". Kara realised that if she meant as much to Danny as he did to her then there were no words great enough to sum that up. Words could not describe the strength and power of her love for him or for their baby. It all became a little overwhelming, they'd truly had to bare their souls tonight and the fact they'd both done that had shown the other, that they were willing to put everything they had on the table to make this work So that they each knew that in this crazy, crazy world that now existed, there could be something to depend on, that they were not alone. Danny knew that mental wall wasn't real but to him, he'd just succeeded in bringing another chunk of it crashing down. He thought back to his earlier conversation with the XO.

"The XO told me that family will get through the hardest of times, we're a family now Kara and this one isn't just going to go away."

Kara craned her head round to look at him, "what did he want to see you about?" she asked curiously.

"He had a cigar for me," Danny told her with smirk and twinkle in his eye, "Apparently I'm a man now," he told her, rubbing her tummy with a satisfied smile. Kara shook her head with a smile and rolled her eyes at this show of male egotism that was based on his virility and ability to get her pregnant.

She laughed, "he must be saving mine for once the baby is born." They both started laughing and neither heard the knock on the door. Tex opened the door partially, not sure what to find and peeked in. He saw them somewhat half lying, relaxed on the bunk, laughing about something, they looked relaxed and Green had his hand on her stomach. He smiled and slowly backed away before they noticed him, shutting the door silently as he went.


	9. Chapter 9

It's a twofer night, the first part isn't long enough to be a chapter on it's own. Hope you enjoy. :) Thanks for reading.

Kara moved through the ship, towards Dr Scott's lab. Her day was over and she felt tired today, there was definitely going to be a nap later. She'd spoken to Andrea earlier who'd said this was all normal but her evening was free and she was looking forward to a sleep before dinner. She passed the galley and wondered if something to eat would help, the morning sickness was starting to pass but she still wasn't eating as much as she had previously. Despite the appearance of a bump occasionally, she felt like she'd lost some weight. The chefs were all busy behind the counter and she scanned the communal side of the galley where the crew ate, maybe there was a pack of chips or cookies lying on the side.

"Hey Lieutenant," a cheery voice wafted out from the behind the servery. Kara turned and found Bacon grinning out, "Can I help you?"

"Hi Bacon, I'm just a bit peckish, was going to just grab a snack but there's not much lying around." She gestured to the empty counter behind her where the drinks cooler was.

"Ah, due to the current climate we've stopped putting out extra food, for people to help themselves to, don't want to run low. However because it's you, I'll grab you something." He smiled. Whilst no one outwardly voiced their support, it was the small gestures that made Kara feel like people were on her side, "What do you fancy?" he asked her.

"Some potato chips, maybe." She thought of something fairly easy for him to grab.

He frowned at her, "Uh-uh," he refused, shaking his head, "That's not the right snack for you at the moment. High in salt and fat, not good for you and the baby. Let me see what I can rustle you up." He disappeared into the prep area of the galley and Kara wondered what she was going to end up getting. She didn't want any favours doing. She sat down at one of the tables to wait, hoping she wasn't inconveniencing Bacon. Suddenly he reappeared from behind the servery, carrying a tray. He set it in front of her, "I figure you're probably at the end of your first trimester, beginning of your second." He slid into the chair opposite her, "so here is an orange, it has folate in, so it's good for the development of your baby's nervous system." Kara stared at him, mouth slightly open, she had no idea navy chefs covered so much in their training. "Then here you have a small dish with some dried apricots and almonds, not too many mind because dried fruits are high in natural sugar and nuts have a high fat content but apricots have iron in which is good for your baby's growth and the almonds have calcium for the development of bones." He smiled at her, she realised that she was looking at him incredulously. She knew he'd worked for the President but this was amazing.

"Wow, thanks Bacon. I had no idea your training was so in depth."

He laughed and started to stand up, "It's not but I had seven sisters, all of which had at least two children. Every time I went home I'd take over the kitchen, cooking for them. Used to restock their freezers because a couple of them couldn't cook and would've quite happily lived on friend chicken for the duration of their pregnancies. Sure, every so often you can treat yourself to something a little unhealthy but you have to remember, what you eat feeds your baby." He moved away from the table.

"Thank you, Bacon," she said and he waved his hand as if he'd done nothing. He smiled, "Whenever I'm on duty, I'll provide you with something that is pregnancy friendly. I've got a nice bit of salmon for you tonight." He disappeared and Kara smiled as she started to peel the orange, she felt lucky to have so many people looking out for her.

Danny hung around the outside of the lab, Kara had told him to meet her there, said she had some sort of surprise for him and he had no idea what. The lab still gave him chills, the days of the virus being the enemy were long gone but it had been a close call. Now it was just a submarine with some nutters running it that had become the enemy. There was talk of them going ashore tomorrow to find Dr Julius Hunter, a friend of Dr Scott and they were steaming there now. He'd seen the immunes in action, he knew they had weapons and men to use them, they were a threat but he refused to consider the possibility he might not come back. He saw Kara making her way down the p-way to him, she stopped in front of him.

"Lieutenant. " she addressed him smartly, he couldn't help but grin at her effort to be professional. He smiled coyly back, "Lieutenant." He returned.

"Kara, is that you?" Rachel Scott's voice floated out of the lab area. Kara turned excitedly to Danny, "Come on, I've got something for you." She said, pulling him by the arm into the lab, he was a little a taken back by the motion and her excitement, he had no idea what was waiting for him. Kara shut the door behind them, giving them some privacy.

"How are you both?" Rachel asked smoothly, "Danny, I haven't seen you for a while."

He shrugged, they'd seen each other at a briefing that morning but hadn't really spoken, "Busy," he just simply said distracted, he noticed Kara had started to unbuckle her belt, then he noticed a cot bed next to Dr Scott's desk. He hoped she wasn't sick, he must have looked concerned because Rachel laughed, "Kara didn't tell you, what this was about, did she?" He shook his head, "That's very mean of her," Rachel told him, moving a machine around the desk, applying a clear gel to a probe. Kara, now laying down on the cot bed, her arms folded behind her head, laughed, "I wanted it to be a surprise," she told Dr Scott. He was starting to realise what was happening, that was an ultrasound machine that Dr Scott was setting up, his mouth started to turn upwards into an excited smaile as Rachel turned to him, "So Danny, are you ready to see your baby?" she asked, smiling at his expression, he could only nod. He didn't know where to stand and he found himself crouching down next to Kara, holding her hand, craning his neck to see the screen on the ultrasound machine, eager for that first glance.

"Ok, this will be cold, Kara," Dr Scott warned as she placed the probe on Kara lower abdomen, she moved it around briefly, suddenly a rapid beat could be heard and a grainy image showed up on the screen. "I'm no OBGYN but I'm pretty certain that's your baby," Rachel said with a triumphant grin. Danny inhaled sharply, his grip tightened, all he could do was look at the screen with a look of astounded amazement on his face and he kept looking at Kara's face and then back to the screen.

"Oh my God," he exclaimed, "that's our baby," he felt speechless, there on the screen was his baby, "Kara, can you see?" he said, "that's our baby." He kept repeating "that's our baby". He never thought he'd see his baby like this, he had no idea they had an ultrasound machine on board. He always thought his first real contact with the baby would be when he first felt her kick but no, this was real, there was his heatbeat and his tiny little self on the screen. He felt so happy and excited to see Been, he was real. He felt rush of love for Kara who had arranged this for him, she was amazing. He looked back at Kara and realised her eyes had teared up and she was just nodding, her grip tight on his hand. She had seen the baby before, albeit not in the most pleasant of situations, being under threat of having your baby removed didn't make it a fond memory but this now was more than she could'e asked for. Danny suddenly registered how fast the heartbeat was and felt worried,

"Dr Scott, should his heart beat that fast." He managed to drag his eyes off the screen and look at the Dr, who laughed at his frown.

"Relax Danny, babies have a faster heart rate, it's nothing to worry about. Did they say in Baltimore how far along you were Kara?" The sound of her name pulled Kara out of the daze she was in and she looked at Rachel.

"Er, I think they said 8-10 weeks but, I've got to be honest, I was panicking so I don't remember for sure." She shook her head, trying to focus only on this happy moment, not the terrifying moment when she'd previously seen her baby for the first time.

"And you two have no idea when…." Rachel started an awkward question and ended it by using her index finger to motion between them. Danny looked away as if slightly embarrassed.

"No," he said softy and Kara just shook her head, biting her lip. Rachel searched the back of her mind for any information she could dredge up on pregnancy, it had been a long time ago since she'd done anything like this, though it was a refreshing change from constantly thinking about the virus and the challenges that presented.

"Hmmmm, well looking at this, I'd say and this really is only a rough estimate, that you're probably about 13 weeks maybe, just going into your second trimester but that's only a guess, mght be a week or so out. Now, it's not the newest of machines but…." With her free hand she felt around the top of the ultrasound machine, "I should be able to get you're a print out, hopefully there's paper in there." She moved the probe round until Been appeared clear on the screen and clicked a button. The sounds of a printer creaked into life and the whiring of spools began, suddenly a bit of paper was churned out of the top. Rachel placed the probe into the holder and tore off the strip. She took a look before handing it to Danny, making sure it was actually a picture or the baby. The look on his face when she gave it to him was almost as ecstatic as the moment she gave him the news that the baby would be immune to the virus.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but it didn't stop the genuine gratitude being heard, He looked like he had won the lottery, he sat on the edge of the cot and he and Kara looked at it together, "Look, sweetheart, that's our baby, it's amazing," he said to her. She'd propped herself up onto her elbows to see, their heads close together, just looking at the bit of paper between them. Kara was smiling and as he had been before, looking between Danny and the photo, her eyes shining. He kissed her forehead and at that point Rachel felt she was intruding on a private moment, so she wheeled the machine away and started to clean it in the corner of the lab, giving them a moment together.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi everyone, thank you for reading. I'm really pleased that you're enjoying it. Sneakily watched episode 13 this week on the internet, (not due in the UK for a few weeks), so you might see a few more bits that start to tie in with the final episode. Won't say anything more though in case some people haven't seen it yet. Enjoy the next chapter.

The ground team had gone on their mission and Kara had heard the exchange on radio, Danny wouldn't be back tonight. She felt ok about the situation, he was just working, like any other normal working day and he had said that there were never any guarantees with the missions, she knew like everyone else on the ship that plans were constantly evolving. They'd been spending a lot more time together, the only evenings they didn't manage it was one of them was working. They'd been discreet and it helped that they'd had a couple of co-conspirators who, whilst they knew nothing of the conversation that had occurred in the Captain's cabin, went out of their way to try give them space and time together. Tex often found reasons to be out but Danny didn't wish to destroy the good relationship they had and was trying to work out how to tell him he didn't always have to leave. With Kara it was a bit easier, Granderson was a watch keeper and often worked the first watch on an evening leaving the cabin free for a few hours.

Kara let herself out onto the upper deck and sat on one of the two bollards that were used for mooring lines when alongside. She gazed across the horizon, the sea was flat and calm and a lone sea bird swooped and glided in front of her. She was aware that the second bollard, next to here, was empty. She found her gaze pulled to the space where no one sat, her mind drifting back to last night when neither Kara or Danny had wanted to stay inside so they'd gone out on the upper deck and sat on the same two bollards. The moon was a pale sliver than didn't cast much of a shimmer on the ocean but Danny used this to his advantage and had been teaching Kara some of the star names and constellations. They'd seen a couple of shooting stars, just whizzing across the sky and then he pointed out a constellation in the shape of a "W".

 _"_ _That's Cassiopeia, you can easily see it because of it's distinctive shape," he traced the "W" with the finger he was using to point. "Maybe, if we have a girl, we could her Cassiopeia," he threw that out unexpectedly. Kara was a little taken aback, she didn't think they'd be discussing baby names yet, though she hadn't really thought about when you do discuss names._

 _"_ _You want to name our baby after a star?" she asked slowly as if she'd misheard and needed to clarify._

 _"_ _Well, it's actually a constellation, not just a single star," he pointed out, somewhat oblivious to her reaction. "But there's plenty of other great names from astronomy, not many for boys but some great names for girls. How about Aurora or Ariel or Nova?" he suggested a few more. Kara had to admit to herself that these were quite pretty and unusual names but she'd always thought Danny wouldn't be so adventurous when naming his kids._

 _"_ _I thought you'd be more traditional when it came to naming the baby," she told him and he laughed at her surprise._

 _"_ _Perhaps there's more to it than just the name of a star, perhaps there's a deeper meaning" he told her, picking up her hand and tracing round the palm, "my grandmother was called Cass, most people thought it was short for Cassandra but she was called Cassiopeia. My great grandfather was in the Navy during the war. The night before he deployed to go to Japan, he sat with my great grandmother looking up at the night sky. He told her that no matter how far apart they were they would always be under the same sky and that every night he would look up at the "W" and if she did too then they would have a common meeting point." He looked up from her hand to find her intently looking at him._

 _"_ _What happened to him?" she asked, almost dreading the answer._

 _"_ _He survived but he returned from the war a broken man, he'd seen so much but when he got back there was my grandma, a daughter he'd never met before, only read about in letters and she was called Cassiopeia. She helped fix him."_

 _"_ _That's beautiful," Kara told him, realising that traditions and traditional were not the same thing._

 _"_ _He bought me my first telescope, y'know. I used to go stay with my aunt who was on a farm with them. He helped me set it up in the hayloft of the barn and he taught me the stars. I use them for navigation but it's more than just that, I know with the stars I always find my way to where I need to be. I love astronomy."_

 _Kara's eyes shone with amazement, every time they sat together she learnt just a little bit more and her heart filled with just a bit more love, "You're such a geek," she told him affectionately and now that she understood his reasons she said with some seriousness, "I'll consider it."_

 _Kara shifted position, moving her hand onto the guardrail in front of her, Danny slid his hand over the top of her's, reminding Kara of the day they had originally been planning to come alongside. That day seemed so long ago now, when there was hope of some sort of normal life to get on with, her future with Danny had been that of a blossoming relationship, a chance to be out in public with him and then it changed… no, she realised, it hadn't all changed, the firm supportive grip of Danny's hand hadn't changed, it told her he was still there. Their circumstances may have changed but the reassurance and support she felt through this one small gesture of his hand on top of hers, was the same. They were still strong. They sat on silence for a while before going back inside. Silence didn't bother Kara anymore, it had become a sign of their solidarity and strength, the ability to sit together and not have to fill it with talk._

 _There would be no time tomorrow for a goodbye and Danny pulled Kara into the kit store before they went their separate ways. He didn't want to dwell on the unknown, it should be a routine mission but the routine of these missions now often involved some sort of fire fight. Kara was stoic about it though, she never, in any of their conversations, had tried to hold him back. Despite it being futile words because neither of them had any control over what the Captain ordered but also because she would never want him to feel bad for doing his job. He worked hard, was good at what he did and enjoyed it, she knew he didn't need to feel bad for that. Danny had seem many of his friend's relationship breakdown because their girlfriends and wives had tried to make them stay home or leave the service, Kara had never done that to him. He pulled her into him, her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around here. They stayed like that for a moment, neither saying a word. Kara hated it but she refused to let him see her upset, once she was alone she could let out a few tears. He would be back though…_

Kara's head snapped back up, her mind back in the present. Of course he would be back, she chastised herself for starting to feel down about it. She couldn't let herself go down the avenue of feeling sorry for herself especially as there was no need for it. There was too much going on around to them for her to be selfish and think only of herself. She looked up to the night sky and saw the 'W', she smiled and whispered a goodnight to Danny, wherever he was. She'd see him soon.

On land, Danny was prepping his bed for the night. He looked up and saw Cassiopeia and he wondered what Kara was doing. He stopped for a moment to stare up at the night sky, even though they were few miles apart they were still under the same sky. He offered up a silent goodnight to her and then turned his attention back to his mission.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Thanks for reading and for the reviews.

Danny sat in the car with Tex, he couldn't believe he'd just called him vanilla, he'd never seen himself that way before, sure he didn't have the long haired dishevelled look that Tex was rocking but he did think he might have some sort edge about him. Tex was always teasing him though, Kara had asked at one point if she should be worried because occasionally when she'd overheard them she talking, when they alternated between playful teasing/bickering and with the genuine affection they had for each other, they sounded like a married couple. Tex took every opportunity to tease Danny and a lot of the time it was easy to do so but there was only Tex that Danny would allow to do it. Tex put it down to the fact that he was a civilian embedded within the ship and he had experience that Danny looked up to, with the others it was like Danny felt he had to be the one in control, the leader taking charge. Tex knew how hard it had been when Danny had had to apologise to his team and admit that he and Kara had been fraternising and he'd done it well but Tex knew he felt it had lost him some credibility and so was ever the professional trying to prove that he wouldn't let the team down again. It was only in the cabin that he let down this guard, Tex had never seen him talk about the baby to anyone else and in public, both he and Kara kept a low profile about it, you'd never be able to tell that there was anything going on between them. Sure he sat with her occasionally at scran but then again, Tex often sat next to women at meal times. It appeared to Tex that Danny had the perfect balance in life. He was mature and very skilled at his job, the ultimate professional but he'd observed that when it came to Kara, he was like a teenager, his eyes shone and he was keen, the way he talked about her was in earnest. It's like the crap times they were going through were counteracted by his relationship with her but Tex also found himself being affected by it. By living vicariously through their romance it was like he got a hit of the good feelings too. It was contagious and in a good way, it was a shame this wasn't a cure for the Red Flu because the world could do with some of this right now. Their living together also allowed for a little more familiarisation and Tex hadn't been able to help himself the other day, Danny had made it all too easy for him when he came back to the cabin after meeting Kara. The moment he walked into the cabin he'd dropped the professional mask that he wore and with a beaming grin, eyes shining asked Tex,"Do you want see my baby?" before Tex could reply he'd handed up a piece of paper, the black and white image on it showing a tiny life.

Tex let out a low whistle, "It's definitely in there." It brought back memories of seeing his daughter for the first time, he had to be honest, it hadn't been easy to see and he'd had to get the sonographer to keep pointing out the baby to him. But there on that piece of paper was very obviously a baby, he didn't even need it pointing out to him. He handed the picture back to Danny, "That's going to be one good looking kid," he told Danny and Danny's grin widened, "So long as it takes after it's mother." He finished, laughing at Danny, he shook his head but continued to smile.

"Nothing you say will kill the great mood I'm in right now," Danny told him changing his . He then found some tac and stuck the photo on the bulkhead at the top of his bunk, so that when he went to sleep at night he'd be able to see it before he turned off the light. It was the only thing he had stuck on the wall, Tex noted, not that he had anything stuck up on the bulkhead to remind him of home but still he'd come from Gitmo, he wasn't exactly bringing on bags of belongings. Danny had a couple of family photos up on the inside of his locker but apart from that there was nothing. IT seem poignant to Tex that the only thing public to the outside world of any connection Danny Green might have with Kara Foster was one single black and white, grainy photo but as far as photos went, this one couldn't be more significant and meaningful.

Danny shifted in the passenger seat, turning towards Tex, "What makes you think I'm so 'vanilla'?" Danny asked and Tex laughed.

"Have you looked in a mirror recently, Buddy? You're like the all-american poster kid for the US Navy. You're like good, all the time." Tex laughed, this was all too easy.

"I'm so not," Danny argued back, laughing.

"Let me take a stab at this, tell me if I'm wrong at any point," Tex drawled, hunched over the steering wheel, "Grew up with both mom and dad and I bet your mom made great apple pie, which she served with vanilla ice cream" Danny stayed silent, his mom's apple pie had been amazing. " You went to school, did you homework, played on the football team…."

"Lacrosse, " Danny corrected and Tex shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'no difference' and he continued as if he'd not been interrupted.

"You joined up to serve your country, worked hard, came top of your class, I suspect the first time you ever broke any naval rule was the day you met KFC without the C and I think out of the two of you, she's the badass. I also think if the world had never changed, you'd propose to that gal, you'd buy some beautiful house, with a porch that has a swing on it, you'd have a back garden complete with swing set and barbeque. You'd probably have a couple more kids, a couple of dogs, you'd buy her a horse because you know she loves them and you'd be the vanilla family and that's no criticism, it'd be perfect."

Danny kept quiet, he was pretty spot on there. Since the meeting with Mike Slattery, he'd started seeing himself doing everyday things as a father, day dreaming about something as simple as walking down a street proudly pushing a stroller and Kara by his side. He smiled to himself at this thought, suddenly he was brought back to earth.

"Danny and what the hell is going on with that ring?" Tex asked.

"What?" He responded, surprised and feigning a little bit of ignorance.

Tex stared at him with a look that told Danny he wouldn't be able to play dumb on this one.

"I've seen that ring go into your pocket, back into the locker, into your pocket, back into your locker, it's been in and out of your locker more times than I can keep count. Where is the ring now, Danny?"

"In my locker," Danny admitted somewhat sheepishly.

"Why is it not on Kara's finger yet?" Tex asked with genuine curiosity. They were back together, they'd worked out whatever had been bugging them before, so he couldn't work out why that little ring box was still in Danny's locker.

"Just not been the right time. It's got to be the right time," he was adamant about this, "It's got to be the right time."

"I'm not sure those types of "right times" exist anymore, Buddy. If you haven't noticed there's been a shortage of candlelit dinner opportunities and romantic walks on the beach of late." Tex said gently.

"Not that type of right time, right time in the mission type of right time. I can't do it before a mission Tex, it'll jinx it." Danny said pensively and Tex let out yet another low whistle, they were becoming fairly frequent these days.

"I never had you pegged as the superstitious type, Danny –Boy." He was really surprised, Danny had always approached things so logically that it never crossed Tex's mind that he wouldn't propose before a mission.

"See what I mean about timing, there's been too many mission recently, too many things that can go wrong. So that ring will just have to stay in it's box a little bit longer." He said wryly.

"Roger that, Danny. I'm sure you'll find the right time." Tex figured best to leave it before he pushed too far, he clearly had his reasons for not proposing yet, even if it was because he didn't want to jinx the mission..

"Head's up Tex, they're turning off," Danny pointed to the convoy in front of them. Tex nodded grimly, whatever these fools had planned wasn't going to be good.

"Lock and load, Danny and stay frosty, you still have to make an honest woman of Kara." He said swinging the wagon round to stay in line with the vehicle in front.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone. Just a short teaser for what's coming next. I believe I have this story rated correctly but just wondering if anyone would be offended by some very suggestive writing. Nothing overly graphic but heavily suggestive. Please leave a comment if this would bother you and I will change the next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Danny couldn't work out how scum like Niels could survive so much. Blown up, then shot and the guy was still alive and wouldn't shut up. It had been a mental day, up that morning and off with the immunes, unknowing of Niels' plan on how to spread the virus, the sickening idea of giving an infected bear to a child had made him feel disgusted and the father in him, despite his child nothing more than a foetus, stepped up to carry out the task. He knew that the Immunes would carry it out and he was the only chance of stopping it, he hadn't really banked on having two of them follow him. He soon dispatched them to their maker though then it all went a bit wrong. Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, he and Tex had come out unscathed, with Niels and destroying his evil work in the form of teddies in the process. It was on days like this that Danny believed that some higher being was looking out for them. He wasn't an overly religious person, he hadn't been to church in years, only when the Navy required him to attend a service but there had been a few close scrapes recently, which made him think they were on the side of right and the Immunes were an evil to be fought and defeated. He thought back to the earlier conversation with Tex, there was always going to be another mission, another set of crazy people to battle against but he felt he couldn't propose until the Immunes had been destroyed and posed one less threat to his girl and baby. But he couldn't work out, why, if God was on their side, why people like Niels were still alive, unless they were to serve a higher purpose and only time would tell with that.

Danny was looking forward to seeing Kara, he'd been successful in blocking her out completely today when he needed to focus. He found himself compartmentalising now, so when at work he put her and the baby in a mental box and then stored it at the back of his mind. It didn't help when he could hear her on the end of the radio but loosing concentration would be what got him injured or killed, if he wasn't careful. He wasn't sure when he'd see her, they still needed to debrief and he was fairly certain it would take a long time considering all that had gone on when they were out there. The Immunes were organised and starting to create a following, then there was Niels and then there was the fact that now they had the President of the United States on board. Danny had to admit, he hadn't seemed the most willing of rescues, spending most of the flight looking shell shocked and then reistant. He had no idea where he was in the ship now. He looked at the time, it was starting to get late, maybe he wouldn't get to see Kara tonight. He could quickly swing by her cabin now but there were a lot of people around, plus he desperately needed a shower, the only word he could use right now to describe himself was stinking.

There was a little tap at the door and Danny opened it, there stood Kara, his concerns about how he appeared right now disappeared. She grinned at him, "Hey."

"Hey, I really want to give you a hug right now but I stink…." He laughed self consciously.

"There's also too many people around," Kara reminded him, "I'm just here as a messenger anyway, been asked to spread the word that the debrief is at 2030 in the wardroom, can you let your team know?" She carried on professionally, playing her role to perfection.

"Sure," he said, playing the game.

She reached out and gently touched him on the arm, "I'm glad you're back," she said softly, her hand trailed down towards his hand and he felt her push a note between his fingers. "See you at 2030," she said brightly and was suddenly disappearing down the p-way. He turned over the folded piece of paper in his hand, in Kara's neat writing it just said " _Female showers, 0100."_ He smiled to himself and shook his head, almost not believing how lucky he was to have found Kara.


	13. Chapter 13

HI everyone, thanks for reading. Hopefully your won't be disappointed with the next chapter, managed to keep it fairly clean but if you have a good imagination you can embellish as you go. Enjoy.

Kara slipped out of bed, trying to be as quiet as possible so not to disturb her bunk mate but Alisha was snoring, so Kara was fairly certain she could've clogged danced out the cabin and still not have disturbed her, once Alisha started snoring it took a huge amount to wake her. The flat was empty, the only people awake were the ones on watch and everyone else asleep, hopefully the showers would be deserted too. She walked down to the showers as if it was a normal thing to do at 0055, nonchalantly swinging her wash caddy. She opened the door to the shower and lights automatically turned on, activated by the motion of someone entering. Heading to the furthest shower, she turned it on to allow it to warm up and pulled across the curtain. It was risky for them to have a bit of fun in the shower but Kara figured they'd already broken this rule several times and she was starting to get a bump to prove it. Kara slipped out of her robe and got in the shower, the hot water running over her, she felt the tension in her shoulders run away down the drain with the waste water. It was silly but without realising it she tensed up every time Danny left the ship, it was like taking a deep breath and holding it until he got back onboard and then she could fully breathe out again. She didn't mind waiting to see him, until all the work had been done, until professional responsibilities had been fulfilled, it was just enough to see back, in one piece and know he was ok. She took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly, it had been a while since she and Danny had manage intimate alone time, she didn't think her body had changed that much, her breast were maybe bigger and she was a little more rounded around the tummy but she didn't think it was too much different. She started to wash her hair, might as well make the most of the time until Danny got there, she wasn't sure he would make it, he'd looked dog tired at debrief.

Danny slipped silently into the shower, Kara was stood under the stream of water, her eyes closed, the soapy suds running down over her face and over her body. He took in her naked form, just allowing himself a couple of seconds, she was so beautiful. He couldn't help himself, he stepped forward under the water and kissed her, he felt her smile under the kiss, her eyes still closed. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wiped her eyes and looked up at him.

"Hi," he said quietly, staring into her eyes.

"Hi," she replied, reaching up to his face with her hands and cupping his cheeks, "I wasn't sure you would make it, I thought you might be too tired."

He laughed, "Too tired? I thought you knew me better than that." He leaned down and kissed her, longer and more passionately, this with an element of urgency about him. Kara put it down to the fact that he'd just come back from the field, he was always more primal after returning from something dangerous. The shower water was running into his eyes but he didn't notice, he just needed to feel her, he forced himself to slow down and pull back.

"You still have soap in your hair," he told her, turning her around so she faced away from him and he started to massage the shampoo out, running his fingers through her hair until the water ran clear. He picked out some shower gel and started to wash her back for her, his strong hands massaging her shoulders, she was tense and he felt her starting to relax under his touch. She pulled her hair round to one side and her neck was expose to him. He lent in, kissing her neck and she let out a low groan, he found his hands wandering round to front, exploring, the residual shower gel allowing them to glide smoothly over her skin. He thought her breast were bigger and his hands moved down to her stomach, it was one of those days when there was hardly any bump there, his hands lingered there for a few extra seconds the he spun her round to face him.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed heavily, trying to control himself, "What on earth did I do to deserve someone like you Kara Foster?"

Her reply was to close in and kiss him, her hands tugging at his hair. He picked her up and she encircled her legs around his waist. He pushed her back against the side of the shower, allowing the wall mounted shower rail to take a little of her weight and he was oblivious to anything else but her, her hands, her lips, her smooth silky skin, it all excited him. In his mind there was nothing else in the world right now apart from the two of them and so felt completely taken by surprise when Kara broke away and he found her pushing him towards the back of the shower. Kara's eyes were wide opened, half amusement and half terror on her face, she'd managed to untangle herself from him and he opened his mouth to speak but she put a finger to her lips and shook her head. She pushed him all the way back so that his feet wouldn't be visible from under the shower curtain, in doing so he knocked the temperature control and the water suddenly came through piping hot, he sucked in a sharp breath and opened his mouth as if to make a noise and Kara quickly put her finger over his lips, he managed hold back his cry of surprise and pain. As she manouvered him out from under the direct stream of water and changed the temperature back to normal, he could see her starting to laugh, her eyes were dancing and her lips in a downturned grin, her shoulders were staring to shake. She slowly removed her finger from his lips and used it to motion beyond the shower curtain.

"Kara?" a sleepy voice asked, "Is that you?"

"Hey, Alisha," Kara replied, trying to keep her voice normal, trying to act as if she hadn't just almost been caught with a naked Danny in the women's showers. "It's me," she confirmed, "Sorry, did I wake you?" she knew she hadn't, Alisha had been sound asleep when she left.

"Oh no," the sleepy voice came back, "I needed the heads and I noticed you were gone and you weren't in the heads, so I just figured I'd see if I could see you, make sure you were ok."

Kara smiled at her friends concern. "Oh no, I'm fine but I was so warm, I think the hormones are making me hot." Kara made the mistake of looking at Danny, who mouthed back at her, "You are hot." His eyes lustful and a grin on his face, she rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head slightly. She placed her finger back on his lips and pursed her lips into a silent "Shhhhh". Danny took the opportunity to playfully bite the finger in front of his mouth and kiss it. He couldn't help but think that Alisha Granderson had the worst timing in the world, it was nice she was looking out for Kara but right now he wished she would leave so he could back to taking care of Kara himself.

"So long as you're ok," Alisha said, if she had noticed Danny's presence, nothing in her voice gave it away.

"Yeah, I just wanted a shower to cool off and freshen up. Thanks for checking on me though, that's really nice of you." She smiled to herself and then noticed Danny motioning with his thumb in the direction of the door, "Get her gone." He mouthed, a playful grin on his face and he started to run his finger down her arm, sending a tingle down her spine. She now realised Danny's impatience for Granderson to leave had nothing to do with getting caught but more to do with finishing off what they had started.

"OK, well I'm heading back to bed," she heard Alisha say.

"OK, I won't be too long," Kara said and Danny shook his head, she would not be going back anytime soon, these moments weren't an everyday occurrence and he was going to make sure they both enjoyed themselves.

"Take your time, I'm sure I'll be asleep again soon," Danny heard Alisha shuffle towards to door and breathed a sigh of relief, they had got away with it. He heard the door start to open and with the same sleepy voice that had been used throughout the whole exchange, Alisha departed with a "Say hi to Danny for me." and the door was heard to close shut.

He waited a couple of seconds before breathing out a laugh and found Kara laughing too, they hadn't got away with it at all but right now it seemed incredibly funny.

"Will Alisha say anything?" he managed to ask between laughs and Kara sobered up a little.

"No," she shook her head, "she's a good friend and she likes you a lot, especially after what happened in Baltimore." The word Baltimore killed the joviality and Kara turned Danny around to check his back.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realise you were going to hit the temperature control. You're not burnt, just a little red mark. The look on your face though….. it was priceless." She started to laugh at him again, his face had been so funny, a contorted mixture of surprise and pain.

"What do you do to me, Ms Foster? I go through a lot of pain for you," he said with mock seriousness, recollecting the bump on the head on a previous meeting.

"Well, when I'm giving birth, I'll remind you of that," she said still laughing at him. She pulled him back under the main jet of water and he stooped to kiss her. His hands cradling her head, his fingers entwined with her damp hair. She melted back into his kiss, her body touching his, aware that neither were going to be leaving this shower anytime soon.

"Now," he murmured, "where were we?" picking her back up again, he picked up where they'd left off before being interrupted.


	14. Chapter 14

Just a short one tonight I'm afraid, got the next chapter started though. Enjoy, thanks for reading and thank you for the reviews.

Kara was almost dressed by the time he Alisha woke up, Kara had an earlier turn to that morning and so had had to be organised, of course the early morning shower session hadn't helped but it had definitely been worth it.

"Morning," the sound of Alisha's voice, drew Kara's attention to the fact she was awake. Kara turned from the mirror and smiled.

"Morning," she took a deep breath, she knew she needed to apologise to Alisha.

"I'm sorry about last night," they said in unison. Kara looked surprised.

You're sorry? Why are you sorry?" she asked Alisha puzzled.

"I didn't meant to disturb you and Danny, I just wanted to make sure you were ok." She looked really sorry.

"Oh Alisha, don't be daft. It was really sweet of you to be concerned and you shouldn't be the one apologising. That should be me. I wanted to apologise to you because it wasn't very considerate of me to use the female showers. I just figured at that time, no one would be around and no one would know. It's no justification but Danny and I get so few opportunities to be alone…."

"I can't imagine what it must be like for you two. It must be so hard. I always thought it was hard to have a distance relationship but at least you didn't see them, whereas you two have this weird, close proximity but not allowed to be together relationship. I can't imagine what it must be like to love someone and have them so close but not be able to be together, especially now with the baby."

"We're able to spend time together but we have to be discreet, the Captain's already said if he hears anything about us being caught together in an unprofessional manner then we'll be in trouble." She said acceptingly.

"Oh Kara, I'm not going to say anything," Alisha quickly said, hoping to put her friend's mind at ease.

Kara realised what she'd said and how it must have sounded. "Oh, thank you but I wasn't saying it for that reason, Alisha, I was just mulling it over really. I realise now that it sounded like I was prompting you to say you'd stay quiet." The look on Kara's face showed Granderson that she was genuine in what she said.

"Kara, I think you and Danny are really brave. I think you're really brave. You're having a baby and you're still at sea. You and Danny have been great friends to me, you could see that my mother and I are not the same, you've been a great friend, I'd never try to hurt you or get you in trouble. So long as your're not having sex on my bed then I'm cool with everything else, " she said with a laugh and Kara finally smiled.

"Please, don't worry, we are not having sex on your bed," she giggled. She felt relieved to have had this conversation.

"Kara, you probably don't realise it but everyone wants this to work out for you and Danny. No one talks about you as a couple because you're not meant to be together but everyone secretly likes to see you together, even if it's just to see you smile at him or have him bring you a juice at breakfast. It gives us all hope. That baby is a sign that even through the worst times goodness and happiness can still exist." Alisha hoped she wasn't saying too much.

"Really? I didn't think people were that interested." She suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

"It's a good thing," Alisha told, "it's giving people something to look forward to. Bacon's already set up a pool, he's doing two, one for due date and one for birth weight."

Kara laughed, that explained Bacon's interest in her pregnancy, a couple of times when prepping her a snack he's conversationally asked he about due dates and how far along she thought she might. Now that all made sense. Perhaps, in the past she might have been offended by this type if interference but since the virus Kara had found she'd mellowed, the small things didn't seem to matter as much now. She was trying not to draw attention to the fact that she was pregnant and it was perhaps this attitude that endeared her further with the rest of the crew. She could see now that actually she was giving something back to the crew, after all in the darkest of times it' always good to have something to look forward to.

"Maybe I should speak to Bacon, get myself down for the pool, not like I have a clue on either of those," she laughed and Alisha joined in along with her.


	15. Chapter 15

So sorry for the delay in posting, I've just moved house and changed job. Hopefully it was worth the wait, please don't be disappointed that this is Garret and Slattery. Danny and Kara will be in the next chapter, I promise. Thank you for reading and all your reviews, really appreciate them.

The CO was ashore, it was mike's ship now. He'd last reported something about some kids that they'd found, he wasn't sure, but it would all become clear when they came on board. Kids with weapons, he'd said, tried – and failed very early on – to take the ship team hostage. Bloody kids, the world truly had gone insane. He'd seen things like this before but only in warzones, where children had no childhood, only a life of conflict and fear to look forward to. He desperately hoped this would not be a long term sentence for the children of the future. He'd stepped off the bridge briefly, heading to the wardroom to pick up something to eat. Cdr Garnett was due to take watch in a couple of hours so he could get some sleep, these days were growing long but he felt a fire lit under him when it came to hunting that sub. He stepped into the wardroom, slightly surprised to see Andrea Garnett sat eating a late lunch She'd been spending a lot of time down the engine spaces recently, taking on a couple of extra watches to make sure the ship got through without too many problems. He had a feeling that work was her main distraction from her grief. Everyone needed an outlet and at least this way he knew the ship would be in good hands.

"Hey Andrea," he addressed her informally, there was no one around to hear them.

She looked surprised, "Mike. I'm not late, am I?"

"Nah, I just needed a coffee and something to eat quickly." He started to operate the coffee machine He clocked Garnett's empty cup and started to make her another. They'd been at sea long enough now for him to know how she took her coffee.

"Any further news from the CO?" she asked.

"Nothing new, they're just sorting out the kids, trying to work out what to do with them but you know they're going to end up on board, probably should task somenone off to set up bed spaces for them." He took the coffees and sat down at the top of the table, making it so they were sat at a 90 degree angle to eat other. Mike slouched down a bit, hands round the back of his head and stretched out his neck muscles. He let go, that felt better. He took a sip of his coffee.

"Andrea, how much more can the ship take?" he finally asked, his question catching her off guard.

"Which answer do you want?" she answer his question with a question.

"What do I have a choice of?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"The realistic one or the answer you want to hear." She gave him two options. He frowned, they didn't sound like they might be the same thing.

"If the Captain had asked the same question, what answer would you give him?" he asked her. Mike found that he and Andrea had a fairly open and honest working relationship, they'd used each other as sounding boards in the past so that when they went to the CO with a problem they'd often come up with a solution between them beforehand.

"Fairly realistic with a hint of optimism." She looked at him and shrugged.

"I hate hints of optimism. It's like making medicine fruit flavour, there's an attempt to sweeten up something that's not good." He made a disgusted face and Garnett smiled, as always Mike was honest.

"We had a full work up prior to leaving for the Arctic and you know these ships can go for at least nine to twelve months before needing scheduled maintenance but it's the routine stuff that we're starting to fall behind on. Parts are getting harder to find and we're repairing things now that shouldn't really be repaired. However, we're doing what we need to do to keep the ship going." She smiled ruefully, her lads were willing, they would patch and patch, they were now starting to patch the patches that were holding some of the engine room together. Wherever possible they were finding solutions, often away from the traditional ones. The ship was being tested to the limit. She wouldn't normally struggle being out of port for this long, in fact they were made for long deployments but it was the assaults that she was taking from the submarine, there were only so many indirect hits and near misses she could take before she fell apart.

"We're going to have to pull in somewhere, preferably Naval, preferably soon. Just keep her going for now Eng, I know you've got a great team down there."

"They're working hard," she couldn't ask for a better team of workers.

"Well, hopefully once this bastard of a submarine has been sorted once and for all ,then we can get some R'n'R. Maybe get back to Norfolk, I imagine the Boss wants to get time with his family and there's still some folk onboard that have family around there." He hoped Andrea hadn't found that insensitive to her not having her family around.

"Will you take time to look for yours?" she enquired and he grabbed his mug with both hands, staring deeply into the dark liquid. After a long moment he looked up and swallowed hard.

"Probably not." He shrugged and Andrea frowned inquisitively at him, waiting for him to go on. "Christine and I were… er…., well, we were not good. We hadn't been for sometime."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I had no idea." Andrea genuinely had no idea that his marriage had been rocky.

"Well, the navy hadn't helped, actually it was my love of the navy didn't help. She blamed me for the death of our son. Our last conversation was not a good one." He sighed. He'd been pulled in the opposite direction so many times, choosing between family and his job. He'd taken a vow to both and his loyalty was to both. Andrea continued to wait in silence, she was sure there was more to it and she was right.

"She complained, said I was away too much, it was like being a single mom and then I'd sweep in after a deployment, as the kids got older it became more fun for them because they could remember who I was. You remember how it was when they were tiny and you had to start over and by the time you got to know them again it was time to go."

Andrea knew it well, it was hard to leave but even harder to return and have your child have no idea who you were, even be afraid of you. You want to sweep them into your arms and smother them with kisses but they've forgotten who you are. It got easier as they got older, they could talk to you on the phone, when alongside there was video calling, so they could see your face. She'd been lucky, John had never complained of being a single parent, he'd embraced it, they'd worked well together. As Lily had gotten older it was easier, the home comings became more exciting, the smile on the small child's face because "mommy" was home was unforgettable.

"She used to say that she did everything, then I'd breeze in after months away, I was the fun parent, the one the kids wanted to see. I'd take my boy hunting and the girls skating, we'd camp out, all the stuff the you could do with two parents, she complained that it was harder on your own, she was always saying no to the kids, felt like the fun police. I'm pretty certain she was having an affair."

Andrea jerked her head in surprise at that one, there was a difference between a rocky marriage and an affair, it was a pretty heavy thing to say. Mike was on a roll though now, it was like the flood gates had opened and there was no stopping the cascade of water flowing through.

"She said, 'Get a shore draft.' And I did. Florida, we were going to go to Mayport. I'd got a 3 year draft down there, I'd pulled every string to get it. I thought it would be the thing that would save us, I love her so much. I thought we'd go and it'd be a fresh start for us as a family, I'd be home almost every night, most weekends would be spent with them. She didn't want to move, told me there was no way she was leaving Norfolk, she'd just gotten a new job, the kids were settled and I would have to sort it. I think it was someone she'd met at work. I never mentioned it, just figured I'd sort it once we got back from the Arctic. I was struggling, couldn't work out what she wanted, certainly not giving her what she needed and she looked elsewhere."

Andrea smiled sympathetically at him and he blew out the rest of his breath. "So, probably not going to be looking for them. I'm not sure they need me and I'm not sure they're even alive. I looked when we were last there but l hit a dead end and could literally be a 'dead' end."

"Mike, I'm so sorry."

"It's my girls really that I'd love to find, know what happened to them, know where they are."

The virus had left so many unanswered questions, the world had changed in such a short space of time. At least Andrea had the knowledge, as hard as it was to accept the death of her family it was definite, there was no uknown. She'd rather have it that way than be in Mike's position.

"Maybe they'll have come out from where they're hiding by the time we get back to Norfolk, it could happen." Andrea wasn't sure what to say but felt it should be something consolidatary and supportive. Mike smiled back and put and appreciative hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Andrea." He stretched again, he'd not told anyone before about his suspicions, it didn't matter now though, it was like it was someone else's life and he was just looking at it through a window. There was no point in dwelling on it anymore, those conversations that he'd had to consider having were not going to happen now. There was something therapeutic about being able to say it outloud even if it no longer mattered. He drained the rest of his coffee and realised he was needed back on the bridge, he'd never intended to sit down, never mind go into details about his private life. "I'd best get back." He stood up.

"I'll be up shortly." Garrett told him, "Mike, you know where I am if you ever want to talk…"

"Thanks," he said, holding her gaze, he nodded and left.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi Everyone, thank you for still reading. Off sick with tonsillitis, so I go this chapter finished earlier than expected. thank you for your review and views. Glad you're enjoying it. :)

Danny watched as Bevas slipped out of the male showers. He didn't mind what people on his team got up to so long as they stayed professional when it counted. He was sure that the official line was that he should care and be proactive in stopping his team members from fraternising but it wasn't until recently that he'd had to even consider it as all his team members had been men. Sure, he wasn't the best person to talk, he'd almost let his personal feelings ruin a mission but he'd learnt from that and that was in the back of his mind every time he made a mental note to have a chat with Burke about what was going on between him and Bevas. He was at risk of sounding a real hypocrite considering he was able to see Kara. He also wondered whether there was an element of self-preservation in his motive in having a word with Carlton, he didn't want it to look like people had seen him and Kara together and taken it as a green light that the fraternisation rule was no longer applicable. Besides, he wasn't telling Carlton not to do anything with Bevas but to be careful, it was more a bit of friendly advice and warning.

One of the hardest things he'd ever had to do was apologise to his team for the near miss at Gitmo. He'd struggled to know what to say but he thought back to the days of his first deployment. He'd just finished training and he'd been sent out to Afghanistan, a crash draft to fill the place of a team member who'd been injured. He'd had no idea what to expect, all the others had been there already for a couple of months, an established team, in regular contact with the enemy. He'd gone feeling pretty smug, he'd just finished training, was now a member of an elite fighting force but once he got there it was soon clear, he was the new boy, straight out of the training box. One of the Master Chiefs had quickly pointed out that he was "Green by name, green by nature." Whilst rank and rate still existed, there was more familiarity between them all due to the nature of their jobs, each one in their small team was important, no one considered themselves more important than another team member. The banter therefore flowed both ways, as did the respect. Green hated that about some aspects of the military. He'd seen officers snub ratings whilst ashore because they felt it was beneath them to talk to a rating, he hated that but he'd been lucky to be in a job where everyone had earnt their position and respect, if you weren't good enough you didn't pass the training, no exceptions. He'd taken the banter in the way it was intended, he'd given it back, establishing himself as one of the guys, as someone with a sense of humour. He'd also worked hard to prove that he was worthy of being there and he found himself an unofficial mentor, a Lt Cdr by the name of Murph. Murph often found reasons for him to be in planning meetings or the Operations room and it was Murph who got him his first mission out on the ground. Danny had trained and trained for this and he knew he had confidence in in his training, the other guys just went about prepping for the mission as if it were no more than a walk in the walk or a spring day, he wanted but he didn't want to look like the new guy again with nothing but his training as experience.

"Hey Green, take a walk with me," Murph called him over and as Danny walked through the tent he was accompanied by the wolf whistles and cheers of the other guys on the team, his friendship with Murph had not gone unnoticed but the banter was friendly, in fact the team had become more accepting of him, he was no longer the outsider in to take the place of an injured team member.

"Right kid, you all ready for the mission?" Murph asked matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Danny tried to sound cool and confident and Murph laughed.

"It's pretty hairy out there at the moment, don't get shot on your first time out, that'd be a waste of a training billet and you'd never live it down with the guys."

Green laughed, it was intended to be funny.

"I'm a bit nervous, maybe." Danny finally admitted.

"Everyone is, first time out, it's normal. It's the unknown that causes that feeling but focus on what you do know. You've had training, you've been on exercises and you know that motley crew out there has your back. In return, you have their back, you work as a team to achieve the task. Remember, you're not the one in charge this time. Lt Adams is in command of this troop, you're just there to get some time outside the wire. You're a good guy, Green but before you can lead out there in this lawless place, you need to know what it's like. Inexperience leads to mistakes I don't want that the team don't want that and I'm pretty certain you don't need that pressure. If something happens to Adams today, the guys will know what to do. The Master Chief will assume command, you will be consulted but ultimately he is the one to take charge. These men have been here a long time, some are on their sixth, even seventh tour of this place. There is aa time for rank and rate to exist but within our units experience counts for a lot. All our guys can lead, it's just that some have official recognition of that on their shoulders."

"Yes, Sir," Danny wished he wasn't so new at this, he felt like he had a huge sign above his head that said "First-timer."

"Green, I read your training reports and I asked people about you. I make it my mission to know the men on my team, they're all good guys but you came with great reports. A buddy of mine at the Academy told me that you'll go on to do great things, you just need the professional exposure and development. It won't be long before you're the one in command of a team but right now, that's a pressure you do not need."

Murph had been a great guy, the whole tea had been great. He'd learnt so much from them all but Murph was a guy he's never forget. There were so many things he'd picked up from him, he wasn't sure what Murph had seen in him, some new Lt with no experience but whatever it was he was grateful. He knew he'd have been disappointed in him for what had happened with Kara, especially the almost failure of a mission. It was not in their professional ethos at all, he wondered what Muprh would have said. When he had to write out what he was going to say in his apology to the crew he tried to imagine a conversation with Lt Cdr Murphy. It would probably have been something along the lines of:

"Well, Green, you fucked up good this time." At which point Murph would sigh and Danny would hang his head in embarrassment, not wishing to see the disappointment on Murph's face. "So lets review this and move on. Outcome of the mistake?"

"Near failure of the mission, Sir," Danny would've replied.

"Was anyone injured or killed by your actions?" Murph would enquire.

"No, Sir but they could've been." Danny would admit but Murph was Muprh, he'd have known the facts before the conversation ever took place.

"But they weren't, so this is a near miss. What was the cause of the mistake?"

"I put my own concerns and needs before that of the team." Danny would reply.

"That goes against our professional ethos, Green."

"Yes, Sir."

"What happened?" Danny imagined Murph would say.

"I wanted to protect the woman I love, I allowed emotion to take over. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"And what have you done to protect future missions, how have you rectified this?" Murph would want to know something had been done, mistakes were allowed but only if you took steps to make sure they didn't happen again.

"I called it off, I told her I never wanted to see her again."

"That's a very big step to take when you love someone. Emotions can sometimes control us but we have to keep it in check. It's happened to us all." Murph would acknowledge the human element in all of this, he knew that emotion could influence and that they were all human. He'd seen Murph fight for his guys, to protect the men on his team, he'd ordered rescue missions and pulled men out of firefights, love came in all shapes and forms, platonic love for a brother in arms was equal to that of a romantic love for a woman. "So what will you do about this?" Murph would ask, there was always a solution. Murph would say to the guys that he was happy for them to go to him with a problem, so long as they also had a possible solution.

"Well, I have to apologise to my team and explain why it was wrong, I need to then say what I've done to stop it from happening again. I'm worried though that it will influence how they view me as a leader." Danny could only imagine how he would feel if someone leading him had done this, there would be loss of faith and trust.

"Green, we are all human, even leaders and leaders make mistakes. Strong leaders will admit their mistakes and grow through them, weak leaders will allow it to hold them back, they'll stop working for their team."

"So my mistake will make me a stronger leader?" Danny would ask him.

"Ultimately but you have to be honest and you have to show that you've learnt from this."

"Are you disappointed in me Murph?" He was the one guy he couldn't bear to disappoint, maybe because he didn't want Murph to think he'd made a mistake in thinking he was a good guy.

"Everyone makes mistakes, it's what makes us human, separates us from machines. I'll only be disappointed in you if you choose not to come back from this and continue leading your team. If you let it influence your style then you're not as strong as I thought."

All the way through writing out what he would say in his apology he imagined his conversation with Murph. Maybe this was the first sign of insanity, talking to a ghost. Murph was dead, not the virus, but contact with the Taliban, they'd lost several members of the team that day. It was his second tour of Afghanistan, back on Murph's team, this time with some experience and fully-fledged member of the team. The loss was immeasurable, the world changed for Danny that day.

"Danny," Danny was startled out of his day-dream, which was rapidly becoming more like the recurring nightmare he often had. Awake or asleep, it was becoming more frequent, the battle, the blood, the moment his friend had died, the evac to the helo, his friend's body on his shoulders, bumping lifelessly as he ran toward the bird. He was sinking back again and once again the voice brought him back.

"Danny, did you want the shower?" Burke's face snapped into focus in front of him.

"Huh?" Danny blinked.

"You ok?" Burke looked concerned and Danny snapped back into his normal self, mentally telling himself to get a grip.

"Yeah, just running through tomorrow's programme." He told Carlton and to Danny's surprise Carlton accepted it.

"Cool, well showers are free. See you tomorrow." Carlton disappeared off down the p-way, whistling as if he had no cares in the world.


	17. Chapter 17

Hi everyone, thank you for reading still and hope you enjoy the next chapter.

 _"_ _We're hit," he heard her shout over the radio, his heart was pounding, he gritted his teeth and refused to think about her and the baby. Danny just had to believe they were ok, he could not be distracted form his own mission, gripping the wheel tightly, he carried on on course._

"Hey… hey, Danny?" Kara tilted his face towards her, "Did you hear what I said?" They were sat together, back on their bollards, it was fairly late and the ship was darkened.

"Yeah," he told her unconvincingly.

"Liar," she laughed, "Anyway, what I was saying, was it was weird. I know he thinks that she killed him, like that's the reason she's under… y'know, ship arrest but it was odd, a lot of tens….."

"The baby's ok, though, right?" He interrupted her with some urgency and completely catching her off guard. She stared at him for a moment, thrown off but then she softened.

"Yeah, the baby's fine. It was one of the first things I told you, it was one of the first things you asked." She placed both hands on his cheeks, comfortingly, "Danny, Been is fine, there's nothing to worry about. I didn't get hit the stomach, it was glancing blow to the ship and there no shock wave. I saw Dr Scott. There's nothing to worry about." She moved one of hands down to his and then guided it to her stomach. "He's still in there." She told him quietly but forcefully.

Danny managed a small smile, it never reached his eyes though and Kara could see his concern, "It's getting dangerous Kara, I don't like it. I don't like that I had to block you out, I can't protect you, I can't always protect both of you." She didn't know what she could hear in his voice but it was something, not hopelessness but not anguish either, she finally worked out that it sounded like frustration.

"Oh, Danny, I don't need you to protect me. It's not much more dangerous on the ship now than it was in the Arctic." It was an almost flippant remark that made Danny's eyes flash.

"Apart from people are firing on the ship now, that's pretty dangerous." He told her.

"And before that there was risk of falling overboard, falling down an open hatch, hypothermia in the Arctic, oh not forgetting the big one – the Virus." She argued, she stared defiantly at him and he maintained the eye contact, they'd reached a stalemate

"You're killing me right now, Kara Foster." He said almost under his breath.

"Danny, I can't be anyone else. I'm not sick, I don't need taking care of. I'm pregnant and I still have a job to do. I chose to come back and I will do what needs to be done to beat these criminals who threaten what is left of a good world. There's nowhere on the ship safer than any other. I'm not more important than anyone else."

It was his turn to cup her face and stare in her eyes, "But you are, you're more important to me, I can live if they die…."

"Danny!" Kara exclaimed.

"… but I don't know if I can keep going without you. I can't consider the possibility of anything happening to our child because I don't know how I would feel. The way I feel about you makes me vulnerable but at the same time I can't imagine being without you, so it makes me want to protect you." He wrapped his arms round her protectively and she allowed him that moment. She was self-reliant but knew he needed this for his own peace of mind and she sank into his body.

"You sure have a way with words, Lieutenant Green." The hostile moment had passed, she knew what he'd needed was to be able to vent his frustration but she wasn't going to give up who she was and be mollycoddled. "We can't change things and you can't control things beyond your control, Danny. I know it's in your nature to protect but you can't protect me and the baby all the time. We agreed, the mission….."

"I know and that's why I didn't 180 the RIB when I heard your call. I put the mission first. I could still hear you….."

"Danny, you have to know, I wouldn't put our baby at risk." She told him, worried that it sounded like she didn't care about the baby.

"Sweetheart, I know that. You're a good mom already." He reassured her, letting her know he knew she cared.

"I am a mother," she laughed, "it hadn't really occurred to me in that way before you said it, it's a little bit overwhelming," she admitted laughing, "I don't know anything about being a mother."

"You're doing alright so far," he told her, "We're all doing alright so far." He kissed the top of her head, "And we'll survive, our little family will survive and get through this."


	18. Chapter 18

I'm so sorry for the delay everyone, thank you for the prompts to post (it gets me focused), I appreciate the reviews. Just been busy with work last couple of weeks. However next chapter is started so should get the next one out a bit quicker. Thank you for sticking with me. Enjoy.

Granderson entered the cabin to find Kara infront of the mirror, in shorts and , taking out her bun.

"Hey, how was your day?" she asked her friend.

"Busy," Kara replied, "I feel like we've hunting this submarine forever, I'm really looking forward to bed tonight."

Alisha yawned as if to emphasize Kara's point and Kara giggled.

"I just wonder how much longer we can keep going with it." Alisha confided, sinking down onto her bunk.

"Well, I take some comfort in knowing that they're…. well, y'know, crazy. Hopefully they'll mess up soon." Kara climbed onto her bunk.

"This is true," Alisha agreed. "You're not seeing Danny tonight?"

"No, I saw him earlier. I'm tired tonight."

"Everything ok with you and the bump?"

"Yeah but I'm starting to get fat," she sighed, she wasn't going to fit in her trousers for much longer, some days they fit and other days not so well, they were definitely on the tight side.

"Do you think you and Danny will get married?" Alisha asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What?" Kara responded surprised, "I doubt it. Is that even a thing now?"

"What do you mean?" Alisha flicked off the main light and the cabin had a small glow from the two bunk lights.

"Well, it doesn't seem like something people would do now, I mean, I don't know if it's important to anyone anymore."

"I think it's probably important to the two people getting married," Alisha answered.

"Before it had its' place in the social structure of society. It was something that defined you. It entitled you to things, I know several people that got married just to get a house on the married quarter but their marriages were shams."

"So, if Danny was to ever ask…."

"Alisha, I'm pretty certain it's the last thing on his mind right now. You can be someone for a lifetime but you don't necessarily have to be married. You're still with that person, the relationship doesn't change because you still love each other. I'm not sure marriage guarantees people stay together especially now." Kara hoped something like a baby could keep people together in the current climate.

"Kara, you know his upbringing was different to yours." Alisha gently pointed out, Kara felt a little pang of jealousy that Alisha would know something about Danny's upbringing, which was ridiculous considering Alisha's sexuality and that she and Danny were friends. "He was brought up in a home that was like some perfect tv family. Something you and I could only look at from the outside. For him, marriage means something, it's precious and cherished. If I wasn't gay, I'd be giving you a run for your money with that one. Too bad he has a penis." She said, making Kara laugh, making her feel a little bit guilty for having been jealous.

"I don't know if I've ever thought about getting married. I was always out playing with horses or clearing up my mom's messes, I was never that girl that put a pillow case on her head and married her Ken doll, I didn't even own a Ken doll. Hell, I didn't even own Barbie."

"Well I had Barbie, Ken, the convertible and Barbie's dream house. I use plan a wedding for Ken and Barbie but last minute Barbie would run off with her friend, Christie and have all sorts of adventures in the convertible."

"Wasn't Christie the…" Kara started slowly.

"Black one?" Alisha finished for her, "Yep. I once told one of my first girlfriends this story, she was wanting to major in psychology and she told me that I identified with Christie and secretly I hoped that Barbie would run off with me. She told me my ideal woman was tall, leggy blonde, with unrealistic body proportions."

"Was she tall and blonde?" Kara asked smiling and Alisha sighed dramatically.

"No, she was a brunette. We didn't date for long and I'm still looking for my real life Barbie."

"If I see her I'll send her your way," Kara promised with mock solemnity.

"But only if she comes complete with Dreamhouse, convertible and a wardrobe of matching outfits. I'm very picky." Kara laughed. Alisha came across as being quite serious, especially at work but behind closed doors she could poke fun at herself and often did.

"I never really considered getting married before. I guess I never really thought it would happen, I always thought I would just find someone to live with and we'd be happy without it. After all it's just a service and piece of paper and I'm guessing right now, there' not many people out there performing weddings."

"I think it's still important. I mean if Danny was never to ask, then you'd continue and nothing would change but if he was to ask then it's obviously something that is still really important to him, something that still holds great value to him. Whilst you think it's less important now, it's probably more important to him because it's something he has great faith in."

Kara thought back to her own upbringing, it was unstable and there'd be a huge element of self-reliance. She recognised that her and Danny had different views but they tempered each other well, occasionally though there would need to be compromise to keep them both happy.

"I suppose if he was to ever ask, I'd say yes, mainly because it means a lot to him and I'm not anti-marriage, I'm just not bothered by it." she shrugged to herself.

"Kara, that's got to be the worst reason for saying yes to a marriage proposal. You have to want to marry him, apathy towards marriage is not a good enough reason to say yes."

"Even if it makes Danny happy?" Kara asked.

"Especially because of that. He'd want it to mean as much to you as it means to him." Alisah knew Kara hadn't meant it in a bad way, she knew she would do almost anything to make Danny happy.

"I want him to be happy, I love him and I can't think about life without him." It was like Kara had read her mind.

"I know you do. I'm sorry to have been forceful about it." Alisha thought about what her psychology major ex would've said if she'd heard Alisha's reaction. _"You're projecting your own feelings about marriage onto someone else because you were always told you couldn't get married…."_

"Well he hasn't asked, and he probably won't so it's probably not worth talking about it anymore." She turned off her bunk light, dimming the cabin further. She knew Alisha was right but it was unlikely to ever happen, there was no changing the world back to how it used to be. She rolled over to sleep.

"Good night Alisha."

"Night Kara." Came the reply and with a click of switch the cabin descended into darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

Hi everyone, thanks for still reading. Enjoy the next chapter. It's Remembrance Sunday here in the UK and we will remember them. XXX

Danny's eyes snapped open. The cabin was pitch black and it was silent, the cool air from the punkah louvre blew across his face, making the sweat that had beaded there feel cold. He swallowed hard, it had only been a dream. Just a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare, a haunting nightmare. The story always the same but it wasn't a story, it had been real. The death of his team mates on a loop and in this nightmare. He knew the outcome, it was exactly how it had been on the day, there was nothing he could do to stop it and whilst he felt like he was going through it all again, a strange part of him felt he was looking down upon it. The dreams were becoming more frequent. He'd called out the night before, Tex waking him before the inevitable end. He could still hear Tex snoring, which meant he was oblivious to the turmoil in the bunk below, which meant Danny hadn't cried out this time. He looked at his watch: 0445. He wouldn't sleep again tonight. He decided it was worth grabbing a coffee before today's planning meeting. He made a mental note to have a word with Lt Burke today, he'd caught both Burke and Bevas together again yesterday. He just had to decide what to say to him. In the dark, Danny silently pulled on his kit that was folded next to the bunk and left the cabin. He entered the wardroom and turned on the coffee machine, today would mostly be fuelled by adrenaline and caffeine. He'd powered through worse than this and that was only in basic training. He swung round when he heard the door open and Mike Slattery walked through. His face only showed slight surprise at the room not being empty and he nodded towards Danny.

"Lieutenant Green," he walked over and grabbed his mug. "The Navy's Best XO." it read. It had been a present from his girls when he'd joined the ship. He told Danny and his team, when they;d first joined, that should anyone mess with his mug, he would hunt them down and kill them with a grapefruit spoon. He poured a coffee from the now warm machine.

"Sir," Danny replied.

"You're up early, planning meeting got you excited?" he asked with grin.

"Just woke up early, Sir." Danny responded. Mike eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, his head cocked to one side.

"Danny, are you having the dreams?" he asked outright. No need to beat about the bush on this one. Danny failed to meet his gaze.

"I can do my job," Danny told him firmly.

"That wasn't what I asked. I know you can do your job, I asked if you're having the dreams, flashbacks." Mike said carefully.

"Yes," Danny reluctantly replied after a few seconds of silence, "they're mainly nightmares. How did you know? It's not affecting my work."

"No, it's not," Slattery agreed, "You're work is still of the highest standard." Mike reassured him.

"How did you know?" Danny repeated his question and Slattery laughed.

"I'm the XO, I have eyes and ears all over this ship. I know almost everything that's going on on this tin can. Though you and Lt. Foster did come as a surprise, didn't see that one." He said almost as an afterthought.

Danny concluded that Tex must have said something because he was the only one that knew about the dreams but he couldn't imagine Tex just walking up to the Xo and saying "By the way, your by Green is having nightmares." There was silence between them, Slattery cleared his throat.

"I overheard Tex saying something to Dr Scott, he didn't know I'd heard him. He didn't say it was you specifically but Tex ain't sharing a cabin with anyone else so I just figured. He wasn't gossiping, he was concerned."

Mike felt he needed to clarify, after all this was not the time to be losing trust in your team mates by thinking they were running their mouths off to people.

"They're becoming more frequent." Danny finally admitted. "It's like, when I relax they just intrude. I can be just sat and it happens but it's most nights now. I fall asleep and I'm back." Danny started to talk, maybe now it didn't matter who he talked to. He'd been worried before about people thinking he couldn't do his job but since it was becoming obvious something was wrong he might as well start talking.

"Where do you go back to?" Mike asked, he sat down on one of the comfy chairs next to Danny and peered over the rim of the coffee mug at him.

"Afghanistan." Danny replied matter of factly, almost surprised that Mike didn't know. "I lost most my team out there, carried my boss out on my back." It was easier to tell than relive, it seemed unreal when he told other people.

"Some tough times." Mike acknowledged.

"My second tour." Danny nodded.

"You know it's post-traumatic stress right?" Mike told him firmly. Danny swallowed hard, he'd known it, he'd known it deep down but until someone else said it he hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge it.

"Yeah," he finally sighed, "I know. But I probably was denying it until that moment right then. Until someone else says it, it can be pushed aside, denied and hidden."

"Have you told anyone? Kara?" Slattery enquired.

"No, I don't need her to know, I don't need anyone to know. I can sort this." His response seemed to be more about convincing himself than Mike.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mike kept with the questions and Dann stared at him for a moment. He took a deep breath and sighed slowly.

"No one wants to be _that_ guy. The one who looks like he can't cope, who needs to be treated differently. How can I instill confidence in my men when they think I'm cracking under the pressure?"

"You do know it's not a weakness, right? It's a psychological reaction to a traumatic event. I;ve got to be honest, until the virus, the majority of this ships company had never fired weapon in anger. You and your team got us trained, that's what gives people confidence. Until your team came onboard, no one on this ship had been to Afghanistan. It was a steep learning curve but you helped us with that."

"I guess, it's my job." Danny shrugged.

"I'm guessing there wasn't much support?"

"There was counselling offered but there was never a line outside that office."

"I once worked alongside a woman from the British Army, they did this thing called TRiM, Trauma Risk Management. It required people to talk through the events, almost immediately after it happened, go through step by step and process it verbally. Apparently, it helps the brain to process and order the event so that the risk of post-traumatic stress is reduced. They'd had a lot of positive results from it and a reduction in guys suffering."

"I've never heard of it," Danny said, hoping that Slattery was not going to suggest he recalled the event.

Mike shrugged, "I'd have liked to have seen it done but I guess we won't get that opportunity now. The thing is, Danny, you probably do need to talk about it to someone. It's usually triggered by some event, a noise or something that just causes a spark in the brain. When we get back to Norfolk, we're going to see if any of our Docs can talk to you."

"You'd be able to wait until then? You're not worried?" Danny felt confused, he'd not said anything to anyone because he hadn't wanted to draw attention to this in case anyone questioned his ability.

"Are you worried? I figured you know yourself well enough to know if you should have concerns."

"I feel better now you know," Danny heard himself say.

"I don't think the CO needs to know about this right now though, he's got a lots on his plate and I think it's acceptable for me to take responsibility for this." Slattery broached cautiously with this suggestion, he wasn't sure how Danny would feel about this suggestion, he saw Danny visibly relax and realised it must have been weighing on him.

"I want to agree with you, Sir." Danny managed a tight smile.

"Good." Slattery nodded, "Danny, I don't know what you've been through, no one here does. It's not a weakness, you're processing, your mind is trying to work things out and something will have triggered, an event, a noise and sight, something will have brought this on."

"There could be many things, my team are all dead – again. I'm the one still carrying those bodies."

"It could be something a lot more subtle than that but I've got to admit, there's been a lot of loss. I'm desperation hoping that there'll be no more." The XO sighed heavily, how many more of his people would have to die in this battle against the Immunes.

"Their names will be remembered in the future, when we tell our children about this." Danny saw himself in the future telling Been about an Uncle Murph and Frankie who just didn't make it through the fight.

"That's how they live on," Mike agreed, "They'll never been forgotten."

"We will remember them." Danny said quietly.

Mike looked at his watch, "We'd best get ready for the day. Do not forget, I am here, at any time. I don't care if it's 0400, I'm here if you need me."

"Thank you, Sir," Danny knew it was a genuine offer and was grateful, the XO might not knew exactly what he was going through but he was a good listener. Today's nightmare had turned into a small blessing, he'd found a confidant.


	20. Chapter 20

Hi Everyone, so sorry for the long delay in posting, the next chapter won't take as long. I'm finding myself a little bit fuzzy on the time line of when things happen as it seems so long ago that the episodes air so apologies if the timeline is slightly off. Looking forward to the release of season 2 on dvd. Anyway, enough from me. I really hope you rnjoy the next chapter. XXX

They were taking the prisoner ashore today, Danny, Tex and Miller. New Orleans was a mess and they were being sent to see if they could find out information regarding Valkyrie. Danny sighed, the Immunes had wreaked havoc upon these poor people and the need to defeat them was growing stronger every day. In the back of his mind, Danny was aware he needed a quick word with Carlton Burke at some point, he wasn't sure how long he would be ashore for and the team was being split so it was better if he could speak to Carlton sooner. As it was, "some point" turned out to be now, as Burke made his way down the flat towards Danny.

"Hey Danny," he said jovially, Danny frowned slightly at the familiarity, especially when there were enlisted men around. In the past he'd never been a stickler for marks of respect especially with comrades he'd been in close calls with but he felt Carlton was treading a fine line, maybe the dreams were just highlighting the recent loss of brothers in arms and that Burke wasn't going to replace them.

"Lieutenant," Danny acknowledged and Burke pursed his lips, frowning at the formality of it. "Can we have a quick word in private?"

"Sure," Burke responded.

Danny had seen Rachael leave the lab earlier, so knew it was empty, he unclipped the hatch into the lab and Burke secured it behind him.

"Is this about the mission ashore today, I thought it was just Tex, Millar and yourself going with the prisoner. Some of us have to stay behind to protect the ship, y'know." He said trying to lighten the atmosphere. Danny didn't react and Burke wondered what was going on.

"It's about Bevas," Danny said abruptly, "Don't take this the wrong way but you have to be more discreet." Burke raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"I thought we were…." He started to defend his actions.

"No, you're not. I'm telling you this as a friend before it goes any higher. I don't want you to repeat my mistakes…" Burke stopped Danny by firmly placing his hand on Danny's chest, he coolly stared at Danny.

"Trust me, I won't be repeating your mistakes. You won't be finding any mini-Burkes running round the ship any time soon." He said with disdain and Danny almost recoiled. He regained composure and dismissively brushed Burkes hand off his chest, narrowing his eyes lightly, it was his turned to stare back.

"That baby," he started vehemently, "might be an accident but it is not a mistake. I was actually referring to Gitmo." He clarified and Carlton Burke laughed mockingly.

"When you were so unprofessional, that you almost threw a mission, endangering the whole ship." Burke delivered his comment with as much force as a slap in the face.

"That's the one," Danny confirmed unashamedly. In his job, when you made a mistake, you learnt from it, made amends and forgave yourself. Mistakes were learning points, not something you hid from.

"You know what, I've seen your type before" Carlton started, his previous verbal assault had just been the warm up, "You guys come on this ship, in your teams, doing whatever the hell you want. You bring your dogs, your weapons, you float round "taking charge" wearing whatever uniform pleases you. You make an effort to stand out as elite, to be different, you think you're better than us. But you're not, you're on my ship now and you are my equal, Lieutenant to Lieutenant, you can't tell me what to do." Burke had a look of defiance on his face. Before Lt. Green had come on board he'd been the top guy regarding weapons training and boarding of his teams. The incidents in the Arctic and the aftermath of virus has seen him pushed out of that position as the hierarchy deferred to Green regarding matters of ground assaults and conflicts. Green now went to planning meetings in Burke's place and he had to have information passed down to him by this outsider.

The clips on the hatch suddenly banged down and Tex and Rachael stepped into the compartment, a look of surprise on Rachael's face finding them in her lab. Tex, only took a second to read the situation, the body language between to younger men, the tension in the air.

"Hey, that thing, I was going to show you, it isn't in here. It's actually in the wardroom." He started to usher the Doc out and Danny overheard her say in a confused voice "What thing? What's going on Tex?" as he stepped her back out through the hatch, the clips slamming down to secure.

"That all you've got?" Danny asked, his arms opening out as if to say "bring it on."

"No, I think you're having this conversation with me today because you're jealous. You thought you were special because you're the one on here having a relationship but you're not the only one entitled to find love. You came on here, the blonde haired, blue eyed golden boy, all we heard was how great a leader you were, you're best friends with the XO and CO, you flirted with our women, hell, you even got one pregnant and now you're telling me that I'm not allowed to have what you have. You're not the only one that women find attractive, are struggling with the fact that Bevas wants to be with me and not you? The worst bit is that you claim you're doing it because you're my friend, you're just a jumped up douch-bag. We didn't need you or your team, we'd have been fine without you." Burke said fervently. Danny couldn't believe the tirade he was hearing. It had gone from being insulting, the insinuation that Been was a mistake had angered him but it was becoming almost funny, in a pitiful way. He had no idea that Burke was so insecure. Even though he knew it would probably antagonise Burke further, Danny looked at him with an almost disbelieving smile on his face.

"Wow," he said through a laugh, "I had no idea you felt this way and you're so far from the truth it's unreal. I don't care if you're having a thing with Bevas, I wouldn't care if you're having a thing with Millar or anyone else on the ship, so long as it's not Kara. My concern was the dynamics on the team and that if the hierarchy were to find out, they'd split us up." He gave it a second to let his words sink in, "And it would be you that was moved, you don't have the same experience in combat as she does and she is the more valuable member on a ground team, so you'd be the one left behind. I was never going to tell you to stop seeing her, you really think I could be that hypocritical? It was intended to be a friendly warning, I wanted to spare you some of the problems I have had and to be a little more discreet." Danny told him matter of factly. Burke stared at him, he wasn't sure how genuine Danny was being, he felt stupid for admitting his petty jealousy. Danny didn't feel there was anything more to say, he'd kept his cool, just as his training had taught him, Burke's lack of control had revealed a lot about his insecurities. He started to turn on his heel to leave, this hadn't gone quite as well as he had hoped and it was his turn to place his hand on Burke's chest, though more as a gesture of warning,

"Don't ever refer to my baby as a mistake again." He said with quiet caution before walking out of the compartment.


	21. Chapter 21

Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Danny wasn't sure how he felt about the whole exchange with Carlton, it hadn't gone in the smooth way he'd hoped, maybe he'd been too direct and it had raised Burke's hackles before they'd been able to discuss the matter. He had a few days for it to blow over, he was going ashore with the prisoner today, see if they could track Valkyrie at all or to see if they could help with the aftermath of the explosion. It had been a huge explosion, the shockwave had rocked the ship, Kara had admitted to him that she'd felt really scared by it, which was unusual as she rarely admitted to feeling afraid. He put it down to the fact that being pregnant made her feel vulnerable.

"Hey," Kara caught up with him on the p-way. He smiled at her, a twinkle in his eye.

"Good morning, Lieutenant." They continued side by side down towards the armoury.

"Is everything ok with you and Burke?" She asked after a few moments of silence, " Rachael mentioned something, she wanted to know if you were ok."

Danny remained silent for a few more seconds and as they passed the equipment store he pulled her inside. He a deep breath,

"I had a word with him today about him and Bevas, it didn't quite go the way I'd planned." He admitted, feeling now it was more a reflection of his approach rather than Carlton's actual feelings. Kara smiled softly at him.

"It's done now. I'm sure it wasn't that bad." She said supportively, as if she could read his thoughts.

"No, it was. He really let me have it. He said some stuff, I had no idea he felt that way. I thought we were friends, I sat and played cards with him when you were sick, he stayed up with me. He just sounded so resentful….." Kara placed a hand on top of his to stop him, she laughed slightly and shook her head.

"You haven't been in this ship very long. Carlton Burke is a nice but he has a huge ego, before you guys got here he considered himself to be "the stud" of the ship. He flirted with everyone, he's just not used to having someone else get the girl and be happy. Whatever he said, it wasn't personal, he'd have said it to anybody that removed him from the perch he sat on. He was threatened by your team before you got on here but you were only meant to be here for four months. He changed when you came on, I once saw him really lay into Millar one day on the upper deck, you guys were doing circuits nearby and I think he did it to try and impress you all."

"I don't remember, can't imagine it would've been impressive anyway, we don't train people by making them feel stupid."

"And he normally wouldn't. He's usually a really nice guy, flirty and a little self-absorbed but not normally a dick. The problem is you're you and you've had success in areas where he struggled. Look at Millar, between you and Tex you've coached him into a good soldier. Burke is still adjusting and he needed to get some things off his chest, he's a little bit insecure right now and this thing with Bevas was starting to build his confidence."

Danny smiled at her, he wouldn't tell her what Burke has said about the baby, like she said, it wasn't personal, it was all in the heat of the moment – he hoped. Kara reached up to his face, her hand cupping his cheek.

"Don't worry about it, you're away now for a couple of days, it'll blow over." She told him. He smiled at her,

"You're right, it will. I don't think I fully appreciated how much of an impact our presence had as a team on the ship's company."

Kara laughed and touched her stomach, "Well I hope you fully appreciate the impact of some of your actions."

"Now that is one thing I will never regret or want to change." He looked at his watch, "I wish I could stay here forever with you but I'd best go." He kissed her forehead, "Thank you for your help."

She kissed him passionately, she loved what their relationship was becoming. He pulled away from the kiss.

"I'll see you in a few days," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it before walking away.


	22. Chapter 22

Thank you for you reviews for the last couple of chapters, glad you're still enjoying it. Hope you don't find this one too boring, having to split the "rig rescue" down into a few chapters, so this is more the start. I hope you like it.

"SIR, Tex has been shot in the arse, we have to go back to the ship." Millar's voice floated across the ocean.

"DANNY BOY, YOU KEEP THIS BOAT GOING TOWARDS THAT RIG." Tex shouted over Millar's concerned objections. Danny pointed the RIB towards the exploding rig and fully opened the throttle.

"Tex, you have a hole in your arse." Millar shouted over the roar of the engines at Tex and Tex looked at him like he was stupid.

"We all have an arsehole," Tex shouted back.

"I meant the bullet," Millar snapped back, irritated at Tex's flippant comment.

"I appreciate your concern but just shove some gauze down there." Danny noted with some detachment that at any other time this would be entertaining. Tex shot in the butt, now draped over the seat in the middle of the RIB, trousers half down and arse pointing to the sky and Millar fumbling with the first aid kit.

"Aren't you in pain?" Millar shouted.

"It's a flesh wound. Not unusual, we've all been shot in the arse before." Even Danny raised an eyebrow to this revelation and Tex looked at both Millar and Danny, "Haven't we?" he asked and both Danny and Millar just shook their heads, Millar looking dumbfounded and Danny bemused. Tex rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Sprogs," he muttered to himself.

Danny turned his attention back towards the Rib and tried to block out the two of them exchanging like a married couple. He hoped he and Kara never bickered like this when they were married. God- Kara, he hoped she was ok, the ship was fine though so she would be ok. Dragging his thoughts back to the here and now Danny continued at a high rate of knots towards the rig. Another explosion erupted.

"Wrapped it up guys, two minutes to the rig," he shouted.

"Just shove that gauze and stick it down with the heavy duty black masking tape, I'll get Dr Scott to take a look at it when we get back. Even though she doesn't say it, I know she likes to see my perfect peach of arse." Even Millar laughed at this one as he started to stick the gauze down with black maskers and just for good measure and pay back he lightly slapped it into place, Tex winced.

"You do not have gentle hands, don't ever become a nurse." He instructed, pulling his trousers back up and fastening his belt. The radio crackled and Danny strained to hear the XO voice over the roar of wind, waves and the engines. He acknowledged the instructions and started to veer away from the rig.

"What's happening?" Tex asked, fearing that the call had been to say there were no survivors and so the rescue mission would become a recovery mission at a safer time. He wasn't sure who had gone to the rig but if it was the XO on the radio then the Nathan James had potentially lost their Captain.

"There's casualties, serious casualties but the helo can't land because there's no green deck, so we're going to RV with the bird, the aircrew man is going to give us the stretchers and stay on with us whilst we pick up the most seriously wounded. He's going to help us get them on the stretchers and then the helo will pick them up and casevac them back to the ship, whilst the walking wounded go back on the RIB." Danny relayed the new instructions to his two guys. "Tex, will you be…." He started to ask. Millar started to root round in the locker in front of the steering column.

"Don't insult my masculinity, I'm fine. We have to get to the rig." Tex told him and Danny nodded.

"I thought I'd best check," Danny said with some concerned.

"Next you'll be telling me you really care," he said with a twinkle in his eye and grin and Danny smiled tightly. Millar revealed what he'd been looking for, he passed both Danny and Tex goggles and ear defenders.

"You can never be too careful, health and safety wherever possible." He said, putting on his goggles and ear defenders causing Tex and Danny to laugh. They were going to an exploding rig, the dangers and risks unknown and health and safety required them to wear protective clothing to carry out a routine task with the helo.

"Sir, Helo port 90," Millar shouted, Danny looked to his left and saw the helo closing in fast on them, they had obviously been spotted before making the RV point and the bird was coming to them. He cut the engines to idle, the RIB slowing slightly before coming to a stop in the water. He switched channels and confirmed his identity with the pilot, after the attack by civilians at the rig he wanted to make sure they knew it was safe to proceed.

"Millar, you're going to receive the stretchers, Tex, I need you to do 360 visuals in case there's any more rogue boats out there and I'm taking charge of the boat, so driving and comms." He dished out the roles, not that he needed to. He knew Millar wasn't the most tough guy around but he had definitely become an asset and he had more common sense than given credit for.

"Roger, Sir," Millar shouted through the increasing noise of the approaching helicopter. They'd practised this before, though not this specific scenario but the using the RIB and having the aircrewman and come down, it was fairly routine. Tex stood as sentry at the bow, surveying the open water for any signs of hostiles, Millar in the middle and Green by the controls. The helo started to hover and as it manoeuvred slowly above them, the down wash from the rotor blades created a fine mist. Danny was now glad for the goggles as he felt the spray hit his face. Danny could see the winchman crouched at the edge of the door and the aircrewman perched at the edge of the cab ready. The winchman signalled to Danny to start the evolution and Danny signalled that they were ready. The aircrewman slowly swung out, a moment of fumbling between the winchman and aircrewman as they pulled two rigid light weight stretchers out of the back of the cab. Danny had never seen the winchman bring down two together before but he guessed that time was of the essence and that they had calculated that this would be quicker. The aircrewman and winchman worked together, hand signals passed back and forth seamlessly meant Danny had to do very little in terms of steering the RIB, the aircrew had been together a long time and worked like clockwork. Having seen them in the mess together Danny did wonder if there was an element of telepathy between them, there had been several times when Jack, the pilot had started to pass the salt to Martha, the observer, seconds before she asked for it. The aircrewman grounded himself onto the RIB before Millar reached for the stretchers, again the cumbersome nature of having two together, made it an awkward dance between them but Danny had to admit that it had saved time. Millar secured them down the sides of the RIB and Chris, the aircrewman, unclipped himself. Holding out the winchline, he gave an "up, up" motion with his hand to the winchman and Danny watched at the winchline slowly ascended. From Chris leaving the aircraft to now it had taken about 3 minutes, which was fast but Danny knew they couldn't waste time. It was almost as if Chris had read Danny's mind because as soon as the line was clear from the RIB, he turned to Danny and yelled "GO". Danny didn't need to be told twice, he pushed the boat into full speed and raced towards the burning rig.


	23. Chapter 23

Hey everyone, thank you for continuing to read. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

"Do you hear there," The XO started his pipe, addressing the whole ship. Crew everywhere fell silent and those in the flats stopped walking to hear the next words, "There has been an explosion on the rig. The status of those involved on the mission is unknown. We have reassigned the RIB and the helo to recover the wounded and repatriate to the Nathan James. I stress, we currently do NOT know the status of the survivors. The hanger is to be set up as a primary receiving point, headed up by Dr Rios, Dr Scott to be 2IC. All first aiders to close up in the hanger, all spare hands currently off-watch to muster in the galley to be assigned roles. HANDS TO ACTION STATION, HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS. This is not a drill. Stand by for further pipes."

He turned to face the rest of the bridge and found faces staring back at him, almost stunned, "Let's go people," he clapped to startle them into action and they started to bustle around the bridge. "I want only essential personnel on the bridge, only essential personnel in the ops room, everyone else to is get themselves to their musters stations. GO."

...

Danny raced the RIB towards the rig, "WE HAVE TO GET TO THE BOAT LANDING SITE, IT'S LOGICAL PLACE THEY'LL GO FOR RECOVERY." Danny shouted to the small team on the boat. "WE'LL HAVE TO ASSESS AND ADAPT THE PLAN AS WE GO BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO LAND, LOAD THE STRETCHERS, RV WITH THE BIRD AND THEN PICK UP THE REST OF THE SURVIVORS. THE RIG COULD COLLAPSE AT ANY SECOND SO STAY SHARP." He slowed to boat to be able to manoeuvre close in towards the rig, smoke billowed out and it became dim. The engine noise dimmed and the noise from the fire was more obvious now. They had to pass under some unstable looking structure to get to the boat dock. He saw Millar wince as piece of flaming debris fell, close to the boat.

"Sir?" Millar asked worried.

"We're going to be fine Millar, don't even think about asking the question." Danny saw the uncertainty on the young man's face. "Millar, when you get out there, you won't even think about what is going on around you. The thinking part of your brain will shut off and your body will just take over." Danny wasn't sure his words were helping as Millar looked even more uncertain.

"How the hell has anyone survived this?" Tex asked outloud, surveying the twisted bits of metal, forming a firey cage around them.

"Just stayed focused." Chris said, "we have to get in and get out."

Danny looked around him, they couldn't hang around, this thing could go at any moment. He was revising the plan in his head.

"Millar, get up here," he shouted and Millar clambered up to the steering column. "I need you to take the boat," Danny told him.

"Sir, I can do this. I don't want you to think I can't. I can." Millar looked desperate to prove himself. Danny put his hand on Millar's shoulder and drew him closer.

"I know you can but I have a more important job that only you can do." Millar drew his head back, looking sceptical.

"I'm not a kid, I can handle this."

"And I'm not shitting you right now, I'd tell you if I didn't think you could do something," Danny didn't need to hand-hold Millar through a self-esteem crisis right now. "I need you to drive the boat."

The rig around them groaned.

"Take the wheel, I need a great driver right now. I want the boat to be ready to go at any point, this thing could collapse around us. When we get to the dock, Tex and I might have to go recover people, I need you to stay with Chris at the boat, we haven't got time to fully tie up and power down. Listen to me, Millar, it's going to be your call. If this rig looks like it's going down, you get out, you don't wait for Tex and I. You take whoever is on the boat and get out. Do you understand?"

"Sir," Millar's eyes widened as the responsibility dawned on him. He knew this was a sign of trust, Lt Green was trusting him to make the decision and he would do it right. He wouldn't let anyone down.

"Boat dock starboard," Chris shouted over, motioning with his hand. Tex closed his eyes before turning already seeing with his imagination the mangles state it would be in but when he turned he saw an unscathed jetty which had somehow survived. Tex let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, maybe this would actually work.

"GREEN, GREEN," Danny turned towards the voice screaming his name. He saw Burke and Wolf picking their way through the wreckage towards the dock, a half-conscious Ravit Bevas draped between them. Chris surveyed the situation and started to ready a stretcher as Millar started to draw up alongside. Tex unable to wait, leapt the two foot gap onto the jetty and started to run towards the three no indication that he'd shot in the butt cheek less than an hour ago.. Green secured the RIB loosely with a line and helped Chris get the stretcher on the deck. It all seemed like slow motion, the smoke, the fire, there was yelling, it was chaos. Burke caught his leg on a jagged piece of metal sticking out and stumbled, almost seamlessly Tex stepped in to catch Ravit before she fell. Tex and Wolfe continued to drag her towards the stretcher and lay her down. Chris set to work securing her. Burke limped over to Green, there was panic and fear in his eyes.

"It just exploded, we tried to shut it off, we tried," he kept saying over, Danny grabbed him by the shoulders.

"BURKE," he shouted and almost immediately Burke's eyes refocused, "Where is everyone?"

"Danny, we split up, I have no idea. There was just Wolfe, Bevas and myself. We tried to shut off the main gas supply but it blew."

Danny licked his lips, the prospect of searching this twisted wreck did not fill him with joy, especially when he no idea where anyone might be.

"I think most people were heading for the heli pad." Burke said and Green looked up, there was no heli-pad anymore. Nothing seemed recognisable anymore, it was just a mess. Smoke billowed and Danny could peered through the dimness looking for a viable route to start searching.

"Are you hurt?" Danny asked Carlton and he shook his head.

"Not compared to others," he said and Wolfe came over.

"What's the plan?" Wolfe asked.

"We need you guys," Danny told them, "Tex and I have to search the rig, we have to find whoever we can. But we need you guys to help."

Danny caught Burke looking over at Bevas, laying on the stretcher, groaning, Chris administering morphine to her. Danny could see the decision haunting him, it was his time to decide between the mission and his personal feelings.

"Carlton," Ravit croacked and Chris soothed her. Danny looked at Carlton Burke, the man who'd vowed never to repeat Danny's mistakes and the pain was etched on his face. Danny decided that take the decision out of Burke's hands, he'd known how it felt to choose and then beat yourself up for the decision you made or could've made, to second guess your actions over and over. Tex joined the group,

"Right, the plan, it's revised again." Danny told them, "This is how it's going to be, this is a one way chat, no discussion. Tex, Wolfe and I, we're searching this joint." Burke started to butt in and Green stopped him with a sharp hand gesture, "we're going to search this joint, logic suggests that everyone headed for the heli-pad, so we're going to make our way to where that used to be. Burke, you're to stay here. Millar's on the wheel, Chris is prepping for those that need to be winched and Burke you're to be the guy on the RIB, as soon as both stretchers are full that RIB is to RV with the bird, then come back. Critically injured must be loaded first onto the boat, walking wounded are to wait and I've told Millar, if this place looks like it's going to collapse he's to get whoever he can on the boat and get out of here."

"I'm really ok to help with the searching, I should be searching," he said, he eyes not quite meeting Danny's. Ravit groaned again and Danny saw Carlton glance over.

"No, it's my decision," Danny told him firmly, "You're to stay with the wounded."

Lt Burke nodded silently, he'd not fight this, let the decision be made for him.

"Go," Danny told him, nodding briefly in Ravit's direction, "We'll see you back on the ship."

Carlton Burke didn't need telling twice, he made his way over and took Ravit's hand.

"I'm here," he told her, "I'm staying with you."

Danny swallowed, he had the power to make this decision and it was right one. He wouldn't be kept awake at night by this.

"Right guys, let's go, let' go." He said, leading the trio into the burning cage, the unknown waiting for them.


	24. Chapter 24

Hi Everyone, thank you for the continued reading and the reviews. This was becoming a long chapter so I've split it into two, with the nex part being posted later this week. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and all the best for 2016. XXX

Wolfe lead the way, he had a better idea of where the others might be, he slowly picked his way through the debris and Danny wondered if anyone had survived, the mangled wreck now encompassing them. Danny turned he was no longer able to see the RIB through the smoke and obstacles. Even though they were his people and not the enemy, Danny felt his senses heightened, even though the people they were going to encounter were not suicide bombers and armed opposition he had that same feeling as you get when patrolling the unknown streets. The adrenaline pumped through his veins and he felt on edge. He steadied his breathing, he could control this, he would control this. He stopped for a second and took in a deep breath, he listened to his heart pumping hard, the sound seemed to echo deafeningly in his head, he had to control this. He had to put the chimp back in the box.

Tex turned to check Green was still behind him and saw his friend stood there composed. He knew the younger man had been suffering, the calling out at night, the dreams but all he saw was a calm looking man, following in his foot steps. Danny motioned for him to carry on and Tex continued to follow Wolfe.

"Over here," Wolfe shouted, making his way over to something he had seen. Danny peered, nothing stood out and as he rounded into the same field of vision as Wolfe he saw the legs, legs sticking out from under a collapsed girder. No movement, no sign of life, Danny did not hold much hope. Wolf, who had been there a few seconds before Danny reached the body, turned, met his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"It's Lynn," Wolfe stated, no emotion in his voice, "he's dead."

The three men looked at each other, they had all been in this position before, it was not the first death of someone they knew and it would unlikely be the last. The professional role had taken over, the mask of a warrior in place, this was search and rescue, not search and recovery.

"Keep moving," Danny said, "We'll come back if we can." To an outsider, this detachment would have sounded cold but Danny knew they would try and recover the body if they could.

"Lynn and Walker were together, keep your eyes open for Walker," Wolfe told them. Tex and Danny nodded before pressing on. Wolf still leading the way.

Tex had no idea what made him look up but he found himself staring into the cavernous shell of the rig, his eyes adjusting to peer through the dancing black smoke, he stared at something for a moment,

"Er, guys, we have a leg." He pointed to a dismembered arm hanging lifelessly from some wreckage. Danny could only imagine the power of the blast to rip a man's leg off and then lodge it 5 meters above them. Tex shook his head, "Whoever that was, won't be any longer, they'd have bled out if they weren't killed in the blast."

"It's a bad day for someone," Danny agreed, "We'll assume it's Walker for now. Let's keep moving." He hoped this was not going to become a recurring event, there had to be some still alive. The pace was slow, footing was unsure and the way the rig creaked around them was not comforting. Occasionally a breeze would blow through clearing some of the smoke, allowing them to see further, Danny was aware that they were only inching forward, not covering much ground, he checked his watch, they had left the RIB 5 minutes ago, he wondered if anyone else had made it down to the boat dock via a different route.

Suddenly Wolfe stopped, his held his hand up, with a clenched fist, they were not tactical but the use of hand signals was instinctive, Danny strained to hear what had caught the front man's attention, he listened, blocking out the sound of his own blood rushing and heard it, faint but definitely there. The voice of the CO, he wasn't alone, it sounded like there was a woman with him, it must be Granderson, she was the only woman left unaccounted for. Danny felt a sense of relief, at least now he wouldn't have to tell Kara he couldn't find her friend. A sense of unease grew as the voices became clearer, the tone of the woman's voice sounded defensive and argumentative, it couldn't be Granderson, she'd never be insubordinate towards the Captain like that.

"CAPTAIN, IT'S LT GREEN." Danny shouted into the immediate distance, he listened again and the voices had stopped.

"GREEN," a voice came back, acknowledging his presence. The breeze blew and the smoke cleared however there was no Hollywood romantic scene of them catching sight of each other through the clearing air but looming infront of them was a barricade of wreckage.

"Well, this is going to cause a problem." Tex drawled.

"Captain, can you see a way through?" Danny shouted, Wolfe was scanning the wreckage and he pointed out a possible route.

"Are any of you injured?" Wolfe asked, giving the barricade a testing nudge. It didn't move, he continued scanning for a way through.

"NO," came back the Captain's reply.

Tex and Danny made their way to Wolfe,

"See any way through?" Danny asked. Wolfe shrugged and didn't look too confident.

"Not a lot of choice, it seems fairly stable, they could climb or I think they could pick their way through that point there," He pointed at a small gap to which Danny got down onto his hands and knees and peered into. The light was poor but he thought he could see the CO's boots on the other side.

"SIR, WE THINK WE'VE FOUND A WAY THROUGH BUT YOU NEED TO GET ONTO THE DECK AND…. YOU'LL HAVE TO SHUFFLE THROUGH." He finished.

"GREEN, WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE'S THIS OPENING?" the boots moved out of Danny's sight, the wreckage must have distorted the location of his voice.

"BACK TO WHERE YOU JUST WERE AND CLOSE TO THE GROUND." Danny called through the gap. Suddenly the CO's face appeared and Danny breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir, it's good to see you." Danny said, realising they weren't that far away, maybe only a three metre gap they'd have to get through.

"Have you seen any of the others that came onto the rig?" Captain Chandler asked with concern. Danny took a deep breath and considered what he wanted to say, he looked the CO in the eyes.

"We just need to get you through the gap first, Sir." There was a sombre edge to the comment and Tom Chandler nodded with understanding, he lips pressed tightly together.

"Right," he acknowledged, "I'm going to send Val through first, she's a civvy, we should take her back to the ship, she's _important_." He eyed Danny as he stressed this and Danny nodded. Chandler moved away from the gap and Danny could hear a murmur of voices. He picked himself of the deck,

"The CO has someone with him, I have no idea who but according to him she's important. So we'd best make sure we get her back to the ship." He said, folding his arms and the three of them exchanged glances.

"She's what we came here for," Wolfe told them, "some communications guru or something, with her on our side we could turn this round."

"In that case, we'd best make sure she gets through that hole and back on that ship in one piece. After this, we're going to need something to work in our favour." Tex said grimly.

"GET READY, I'M SENDING VAL THROUGH." yelled Chandler and the three peered through waiting for her to arrive.


	25. Chapter 25

Hi everyone, sorry it took a little while to get this posted. I hope you enjoy the next instalment. Thank you for all your lovely reviews. I really do enjoy writing for you.

"You want me to do what?" Val asked indignantly,

"I don't want to you do anything, I need you to crawl through that space there," Chandler pointed at a gap in the wreckage close to the deck.

"Yeah, sure I'm just going to wiggle through a tiny hole and it might all come tumbling down on top of me," Val laughed and her eyes danced mockingly at Capt. Chandler. He pursed his lips and she hugged her bag closer, "'Cause you're joking right…" she looked at him expectantly and Chandler frowned, clenching his jaw, "oh, you're not… joking…." She tailed off. She bit her lip, he looked pissed and she thought it might have been at her.

"If you want to get off here alive, I suggest you get through the hole," he said quietly and calmly. Val swallowed, it was the voice of someone in control, someone forcing themselves to be calm and quiet.

"Ok," she simply replied. She dropped to the deck and started to crawl through.

"GET READY, I'M SENDING VAL THROUGH." She heard him holler. She looked up briefly and wished she hadn't, the mangled metal she was slowly inching her way through taunted her, telling her it would collapse at any minute. She stopped and just stared, maybe this was it.

"Hey," she heard someone snap their fingers, bringing her attentions back deck level. Peering through from the other side was the face of a young man, blonde, dressing in a uniform different to the Captain's. "Don't look up, just look at me," he said neutrally, his eyes focused and fixed on her. She just stared at him and realised inappropriately that there were worse people to be looking at, he was handsome guy.

"Move towards me," he told her and as if she was hypnotized she started to creep forward slowly, "That's it, you're almost through," that's when his hand appeared, instinctively she reached out but couldn't reach him, something was holding her back, she tried to move forward more but couldn't.

Danny saw her eyes go wild and her body jerk as if fighting against something, last thing he need was for her to freak out under something that could collapse on her.

"Val," he used her name, hopefully to centre her back to him, he could see her starting to pant. He smoothed the mask he wore, calm, confident and in control but on the inside he was frustrated, this was not the time for someone to start having a panic attack, he didn't need her to pass out in there. He decided it was time to get comfy and moved from his crouched stance, he felt the blood flow back into his legs as he lay on the deck, his face was now a couple of feet away from Val's.

"I'm stuck," she told him, her face tense. He heard her breathing speed up.

"It's Val, right?" he asked calmly and she nodded frantically, "OK, we're going to get you out. Look at me," he commanded quietly and her eyes locked on his. He smiled reassuringly, his eye carrying the smile, she swallowed hard.

"So, we're going to do some breathing together, I'll lead. Big deep breaths, nice and slow. In through the nose," he sucked in air in an exaggerated manner, hoping she would follow his lead. He counted slowly to four in his head, "and out through the mouth, pretend you're blowing candles out on a cake," he pursed his lips and blew out, he noted with relief Val's ragged attempt to follow. "In," he told her, repeating the exaggerated breathing, "and out." He once again pursed his lips. He went through this a couple more time with Val, each time getting her to follow his breathing. Behind him he could hear Tex say to Wolfe, "Awh, man, when I told Danny to do some Le mars and practise his labour breathing, I didn't intend for him to do it at such a critical time." His eyes crinkled up at the corners just a tiny bit at the thought of Kara and the baby. Val noticed and interpreted it to be a positive sign of how he felt about her, her breathing had calmed now and she felt her head clear.

"Ok," she told him calmly and he nodded, his face friendly and kind. He obviously didn't know this was all her fault, "I'm stuck on something," she told him, biting her lips to stop the panic once again rising up inside of her, she repeated the breathing exercise without his prompt.

Danny' face didn't change, the unchangeable mask of calm was in place, "Ok. So what I want you to do, is try work out where you're stuck. Is it your feet?"

Val move her legs, no, it wasn't that, it was higher up, her shoulder had been restricted, that's why she couldn't reach him, Suddenly she knew what it was,

"It's my bag, my bag is sn… sna…. Snagged," she said, her eyes darted wildly again, she felt like she was never going to get off this rig.

"Don't take your eyes off me," Danny said firmly and once again she locked onto him, "Just feel back with you hand, reach back to your bag and see if you can move it. You might have to move back slightly." Her trembling hand felt blindly down around the strap of the bag,, it was taut, the strap had snagged on something.

"It's snagged," she said with a tremor.

"Ok, that's not a problem. We can solve that. Just inch back, slightly. Once you feel the slack, take the strap off your shoulder and that's it sorted. It'll be easier for you to get through, if you then pass me the bag."

Her eyes flickered warily and Danny could see the mistrust on her face.

"This is just an elaborate plan for you to get my laptop." She accused him. Danny held up his hands as if to fend off the comment. He stared her in the eye, his comforting tone gone, it was time to be honest and get this girl moving, the clock was ticking.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea what you have in that bag or why it's so precious. We're not here for the bag, what you have in there is not important. Similarly, you to me, are not important. I don't know you, I don't know if you can help us, what I do know is that the Nathan James has done ok so far, we cured the virus, so whatever you have I'm sure we can come up with, it might just take some time."

"Why are you helping then?" she asked, taken aback at this turn in character. He was still calm but now he was a bit edgy.

"You want reassurances? Here we go, if we steal your bag, you're won't come out, you'll cry like a bitch because we left you, then you'll stay there and this whole rig will eventually collapse." He noticed her eyes dart wildly and she licked her lips nervously, so she was afraid of being left here. "What you have to understand is that there's a huge chain, I'm not here for you, this is not my choice to help you. That man on the other side, the one that's been helping you. He's the Captain of the ship, he's _my_ Captain, which means I don't leave until he's safe and he won't leave until you're safe because unlike me, he wouldn't just leave you here and that is why I'm still here." Danny disengaged himself from her stare and looked at his fingers, he played with a rough bit of nail, giving the impression that she really didn't interest him. "Now," he said finally looking back her, "I am a servant to two bosses. See, even though fraternisation's not allowed in the navy, my girlfriend is back on the ship. Do you know how pissed she would be if I didn't get off here because you wouldn't pass me a bag, leaving her to raise our unborn baby alone?"

Danny stared at her calmly, intently as if to question if she was too stupid to understand the bigger picture. Val looked at him, he had a girlfriend, a pregnant girlfriend. She felt a little sense of disappointment but of course, all the good ones had girlfriends. She stared at him and he continued to stared back.

"So please, for the love of God, pass me the bag, get out of that hole, so I can get my Captain back and avoid being in a whole world of shit from a hormonal pregnant woman." His exasperated outburst snapped Val back to reality and almost like she was observing herself do it, she mindlessly passed him the bag, which he then tossed to someone else. He hauled her through the last part of the hole and out onto the other side. He over balanced and she landed on top of him, she felt herself being pulled up and came face to face with two more men. The shorter, the more scruffy looking one, threw her bag at her.

"Here's your bag," he said without any emotion but a look of disdain on his face. "Hey boss," he called, making sure Val could hear him, "If the Captain hadn't been here, would you have actually left her behind?"

Danny stared steadily at her, he had a choice, fear could be a powerful ally, it was one he hated to use but sometimes it gave the greatest cooperation and results. He'd seen the fear in her eyes, she didn't want to be left here. He looked her in the eye, "Yes," he just simply replied before moving back to the barricade to tell Captain Chandler to come through.


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry for the long gap, I've been off having last ship type adventures, without the ship and without a deadly virus but been away with work so unable to get bits written. Thank you for continuing to read and here's the next bit. (we'll be back to the rig in the next chapter.) Enjoy.

Kara hovered tentatively at the bridge, there was a tense atmosphere, she could feel it. She took a deep breath, no one knew who was dead and alive, they were waiting for comms, any comms, she feel a little sick. She reasoned she'd have felt this way regardless, her friends were out there, not just Danny. She brushed her hand across her tummy, there was a strange sensation, she put it down to nerves.

"FOSTER." The XO barked.

"Permission to enter the bridge please, Sir,"

He beckoned impatiently at her, "Come on, come on." he said quickly.

She stepped up, quickly scanned the view from the bridge, the XO scanned the horizon with binoculars. She couldn't see anything with the naked eye. Slattery placed the binos down with a heavy hand, the bang startling the young ensign next to him. The XO let out a breath of frustration through pursed lips.

"Anything Foster? Anything at all."

"No Sir," she bit her lip, there was that sensation again, it felt like flutter, it must be nerves.

The XO sucked air in through his clenched teeth, "Ok, well, see if you can dig something up, I want to know any further threats, get the guys in the comms room to scan every channel. These guys have to be communicating somehow. There's got to be chatter. I want to know what the threat to the ship is."

"Yes, Sir." She turned to leave and heard him bark to the Ensign, "Get this ship closer to that rig, I want the distance to be minimal to get survivors back onboard."

Kara hoped there would be survivors. There was that nervous twitch again, it was weird, she'd never had it before, not matter how hairy things had got she'd always been calm. Maybe it was because this time there was more to loose. She took a deep breath. Suddenly there was a thought, it came out of nowhere, with the speed and force of a freight train and she was unable to stop it. She grabbed a hand rail by the ladder to steady herself and took a deep breath. What if she was having a miscarriage? The thought was there, the seed was planted and she panicked. What if all they had been through in the last couple hours had been too much? Maybe her baby wasn't strong enough to keep holding on, she just assumed he baby would be strong like Danny. She felt sick. After all, she had no idea what her body was going through, it's not like there were birthing classes being held on board, there was no OB appointment to be able to ask these questions to. She forced herself to breathe and banished the mental image from her mind of her telling Danny there baby had gone. It wasn't going to happen, this was just nerves she told herself. Somehow, she'd found her way back to the ops room and sat down on her chair at her terminal, she placed her hands on her lower abdomen and silently pleaded with her baby, "Hang in there Been, just in there. You daddy will be back soon. We love you."

Lt Cdr Garrett saw Lt Foster come back into the ops room. Kara's face looked blank as she moved across to her chair. It's like she was autopilot, Andrea frowned, it was most unlike Kara to be unfocused.

"Do you need a break?" Kara jumped when she heard LT Cdr Garrett's voice quietly in her ear. Kara swallowed.

"No… yes, no, I don't know." Kara said

"What's going, Kara? Have you heard something from the shore party?" Andrea asked quietly, there certainly hadn't been any news down in the Ops room and they were listening in on the frequency of the both the RIB and helo but Andrea couldn't think of anything else. Kara turned and looked at her in the eyes, Andrea could see panic.

"I think I'm having a miscarriage," Kara whispered. That's it, the words were out now. Andrea swallowed, there was no point in panicking, what happens will happen.

"Take a break and go see Rachael," she said calmly and quietly, looking round, no one else was paying attention to them. "We have you covered."

Kara took a deep breath and nodded, "Ok. Thank you," she said gratefully. As much as she didn't want to know if she was losing this baby she knew she needed to know.

Kara made her way down the flats to the hanger, she knew Rachael would be setting up for casualties with Dr Rios, it seemed like the longest walk of her life.

Kara appeared through the hatch and Rachel looked up,

"There's news? Are they on their way back?" Rachael asked without looking up, when she heard no answer she looked up. "Danny?" she asked with concern when she saw the look on Kara's face and Kara shook her head.

"There's no news yet, they're still at the rig." Kara said, her hand moving to her stomach and worry on her face. Rachael moved across to her.

"Kara, are you ok?" Rachael searched the younger woman's face for clue.

"I don't know if I'm having a miscarriage," Kara bit her lip, looking at the ground

"Ok," Rachael said calmly, "what makes you think that? Are you having pain?" she asked.

Kara met her eyes, "No."

"Are you bleeding?" Rachael asked trying to work out what was causing the panic.

"No," Kara shook her head, "ER, I'm having this weird sensation, like twitching, it's hard to describe but it's like a ripple or tug, here." She rubbed her hand where felt the sensation.

Rachael smiled and Kara looked bewildered at her reaction. Rachael put her hand firmly on Kara's shoulder.

"We'll take a quick look but I strongly suspect that you're not having a miscarriage. I think what you're feeling is your baby moving."

Kara's eye widened, "I'm not having a miscarriage?"

"Probably not," Rachael tugged Kara over to the ultrasound machine that had been moved up to the hanger, "We'll have a quick look and make sure." She starting setting up the machine and Kara lay down, tugging her shirt out of her waistband. She wasn't convinced, it's not how she imagined ti would feel.

"Cold gel," Rachael forewarned and Kara sucked in a breath, she felt the probe rub across her abdomen and there it was, the sound of her baby's heart.

Rachael smiled reassuringly, "Kara, that's your baby, it has a strong heartbeat and he is moving." For Kara it was the most glorious sound in the world, the only thing that could beat this now would be to hear Danny say her name.

Kara let out a breath and laughed with relief, "He's moving? My baby's moving. He's ok."

"What your feeling is your baby moving." Rachael laughed. Kara shook her head in disbelief, I'm so sorry to have bothered you. I thought something was wrong, like seriously wrong."

"Don't apologise," Rachael said starting to pack up the scanner. "It's been a hard few days, not the ideal environment for a pregnant woman but foetuses are tough, they'll hang in there through a lot."

"Do you think Danny will feel it yet? I only feel it on the inside." She asked as she wiped her stomach.

"Probably not yet but give it a few more weeks."

"Thank you, you have no idea how I appreciate this." She smiled when she felt the ripple again, it was just her baby moving. Kara looked round the hanger, it dawned on her there was still a job to do. "I'd best get back to work," her job was now to help get Danny and her friends back.


	27. Chapter 27

HI everyone, thanks for the recent reviews. Always nice to read, so thank you for reading. Hope you like the next bit. xxx

Tom Chandler pulled himself through the small gap and with one last heave, cleared the metal cage. He lay on the deck for a moment, wishing he'd gone running more in the last few months but who had time these day? He heard a small polite cough and found four face staring down at him. Great, the sprog faces of his fittest guys on board, Wolf and Danny Green staring at him with some concern, accompanied by the smirk on Tex's face.

"Are you ok, Tom?" Tex asked with mock concern, a twinkle in his eye and smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Tom started to his feet and Danny reached down to give him a hand, "Yeah yeah, Tex, not all of us have found the time recently to go to the gym." Tom felt pretty rough, he hadn't realised he was this unfit.

"Hey, it was pretty hairy back there," Val butted in and this time four heads turned to stare at her, "I was just saying." she said defensively.

"So what' the plan?" The CO asked Lt Green.

"Well, Millar's got the RIB, um, Burke and Bivas are there. Bivas is not in a good way. Wolfe's joined the search and…. Lynn and Walker….., they'll not be joining us." Danny said with a shake of his head. Tom pressed his lips together and nodded with understanding at what Danny was saying.

"This rig is unstable, we need to get off, we need to find Chung and Granderson and get off" Danny hurriedly said, dropping his voice so Val couldn't hear him. Tom picked up his urgency.

"OK, so the last place I saw Chung and Granderson was by the main antennae. We'll start there." The Captain looked at Lt Green and waited for his agreement.

"Sorry, Sir, you're coming with us?" Danny leaned back and squinted at the boss.

"They're my team, I have to go."

"What about Val?" Danny asked.

"Wolfe or Tex could take her back. We'd best hurry, this rig isn't going to last much longer." Chandler looked around him, oblivious to Danny's look of disbelief.

"And they are currently my team, under my command. Sir, you need to go back to the ship." Danny said, emphasising the word "need".

Tom Chandler swung his head back to Lt Green, who's face was emotionless.

"I need to find my team. I have to think of the mission." Tom told him back, the eye contact between the two was intense. Danny continued to stare at him and swallowed.

"Sir, I say this with all respect but the mission has changed, this is now my rescue mission and I need you to go back to the ship. My team is here now and I've taken Wolfe to be part of that. I need you to take Val back to the ship." Danny shouted over the groan of metal.

Tom looked round, aware that this discussion could be heard by others. He caught Wolfe suddenly looking in to opposite direction as if he'd not been listening, Tex didn't even pretend, he just continued to look at Green and Chandler. There was a tense atmosphere and Tex sucked air in through his teeth then clicked his tongue.

"Erm, I'm, er…. going to….. look for, er, an alternative route round this." He stuttered whilst vaguely motioning at the twisted barricade behind him. He turned to leave,

"I think I'm going to join you," Wolfe said quickly and caught stride with Tex, the two disappeared round the wreck. Tom looked at Val, who was hunched down on the floor, cradling her bag.

"I don't care whether you two fight," she said with attitude, "You told me you'd get me off this thing so just get me off this thing." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm going with you," the Captain told Green and Danny opened his mouth to give a reply, "Do not tell me what my mission is, Lieutenant." His voice carried a warning tone.

Green looked at him, he couldn't see any obvious signs of injury, he couldn't work out why the Captain was being so obtuse. Ok, he understood, if it was his team that had been caught in this whilst he'd been in command he too would want to find them. No one wants to think that they had lead their team on a bad mission, everyone wants to the outcome to be a success and good leaders always took responsibility, he knew that right now Tom Chandler felt responsible for the current situation and wanted to fix it.

"Sir, I understand why you want to be here. I get it, if it was me I'd be fighting for my team too. But you have to remember that you also have another team that need you. I need you to go back to the ship, the ship needs you to go back."

"They have the XO." Tom told him angrily.

"And he's doing a great job but Sir," Danny stayed calm, it wouldn't do for the two of them to bicker, he needed his Captain now, "you've lost two crew members already today, the ship cannot survive loosing it's Captain, not like this, you're still alive now but you have to go back. You have to go back. You're my Captain, you're the ship's Captain, they need to see you right now, they need to know that things will be ok." It took all of Danny's will power not to grab the Captain by his shoulders and go eyeball to eyeball but even he knew he was pushing it right now. He knew the Captain could order him to go back to the ship and he would take over the mission and he hoped to hell that that order never came because he had no idea what his reaction would be.

"I won't leave you or them here." Tom told him, a slight waiver in his voice.

"Sir, you have to." Danny told him, "The ship, it will continue if I don't survive, if Tex or Wolfe don't go back, the world keeps turning. The Nathan James will keep sailing, we are expendable but you Sir, you are not. You have to go back. You have to take Val and you have to keep fighting, you have to make the world right again." He looked at Tom Chandler, his brow was furrowed and Danny wondered if he was even hearing him. He continued, "They are your people on board, they've followed you and they're willing to die for you and you owe it to them to go back." Danny knew it was a pretty low argument, to make out that the Captain didn't care about his people but he thought appealing to the Captain's sense of duty might make a convincing argument. He didn't miss the flash in the Captain's eyes, nor did either of them miss Tex's distinct whistle.

"We've found a way round." They heard him shout.

Tom Chandler leaned in close and Danny purposely did not move back. "I'm not used to having people question me or tell me what to do." he said quietly.

"I imagine not, Sir but it has been done with full respect to you and for the best outcome in the mission." Danny couldn't help himself, he knew he shouldn't answer but it still came out. Tom Chandler narrowed his eyes.

"We are not finished on this subject and you'd best make it back to the ship so I can have you in front of me for insubordination." he flicked his finger in Danny's direction as if he was ticking off a naughty school boy.

"Fine by me." Danny threw up his hands, he couldn't wait any longer to try make the Captain see reason. Danny had no idea what had gotten into him. Normally the Captain would be so calm and able to see the bigger picture, maybe he'd hit his head or was in shock. He scanned the Captain over, his eyes narrowing, looking for any sign of blood or injury, this was unlike the Captain.

"Come on Val," Tom held out his hand to help her to her feet and she let him help pull her up.

"Bring my people back, Lt Green," he said as he walked by him.

"Yes, Sir," Danny replied as he walked in the direction taken by Wolfe and Tex. He closed his eyes, it was not the way he thought it would go but it was done now. As much as he didn't look forward to the one way chat that Capt Chandler had pencilled in for his return, if it happened it would mean they had made it back to the ship alive and that was preferable to the alternative not making it back at all.


	28. Chapter 28

Hi everyone, thank you for your continued support and reading.. Just seen first episode of season 3. Ok, wow. All I'm going to say considering some people might not have seen it yet. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter.

He heard her screaming first. The screams, it was always the screams of those unaccustomed with another's pain and suffering that conveyed the panic and terror of the situation. The monkey was well out of the box on that one, the moment where the primal mind took over and reacted to the stress and the human brain had lost control. Danny looked over at Tex. Tex wore his mask, smoothed in place by a hand that wiped a bead of sweat away. It was hot, there was fire and Danny was only slightly aware of a smell of burnt flesh piercing through his mental state of concentration. The rig was unstable here, one wrong move could see them trapped by falling wreckage.

"Boss," Wolf called, his head jerking to the left and Danny squinted. There through a heat haze he could just make out the form of Alesha Granderson. She moved without purpose but every couple of seconds would bend over a huddle on the deck and nudge it. Danny could only assume by her actions and her reaction that the lump on the floor was Chung. Her face was in her hands, it was as if she had no awareness of the fire and heat, only desperation.

Danny looked, he was aware Tex was still shot, he could lead Alesha out and he and Wolf could carry Chung. He signalled with his hands for Tex to take Alesha and get her out. They needed to be careful but they couldn't afford time on this one.

They moved forward and Tex approached Alesha like he would a skittish horse, unsure of her reaction. To his relief she let out a noise he could only identify with as relief. He took her gently by the hand, guiding her away. She started to turn back, "it' ok, they have him, they'll follow us." She nodded silently and followed him.

Wolf helped Danny haul Chung across his shoulders and looked nervously around. "Are they the last," he shouted and Danny nodded, "then let's get the hell out of here." Danny couldn't agree more. Time was ticking and they needed to get off. The way back didn't seem as long, Danny felt sure they'd walked much further to find Alesha and Chung, they somehow worked their way swiftly round each obstacle that presented itself and Danny actually allowed himself a little bit of hope that they might make it back. Chung occasionally groaned even after the morphine Wolf had given him when they'd first got to him. They swapped halfway and it was Danny's turn to guide Wolf, not much further now. He noted that Tex diverted Alesha's eyes by making her watch her footing as they passed the detached leg and she clung to him like a child. Wolf started to pick up the pace.

"Are you ok, do you need to change?" Chung wasn't heavy but it was demanding going over this terrain and in this heat, Wolf's face was etched with determination.

"Boat, boat," was all he could say motioning with his head frantically. There it was, with Millar at the helm, the boat the engine idle, waiting for them. The small ember of hope that glowed was quickly snuffed when a loud groan could be heard, the sound of stressed metal starting to buckle.

"TEX, GET HER ON. RUN." Danny screamed. Tex didn't need telling twice, he started to run and he practically threw her into the RIB. The groaning got louder, the sound rushing in Danny's ears. They were at the boat. Alesha, almost like a different person, no sign of the small child, held out her arms.

"Pass him to me" as Wolf lowed Chung into the RIB, he daren't slow down and he allowed Alesha to take Chung from him. He jumped into the RIB and Danny kicked the boat away from the jetty, his leap into the small boat accompanied by the crushing roar that now echoed around them. Millar wasted no time, he knew he was racing a wall of burning metal and fire, he could do this. He pushed the throttle, the sound of the engine, normally deafening, faded into the cacophony around them. Danny looked back behind them, if he hadn't been there he would've thought he was in the movies. The scene behind him was just collapsing in, almost seconds after the boat had passed it. Suddenly the RIB shot out into the bright sunlight and fresh air. Danny involuntarily squinted in the light and he was just aware of Millar, fist pumping and screaming "Woooooooooooooooo." Millar continued towards the ship at full speed, the distance between them had closed in the time they'd done the rescue. For a moment, Tex, Wolf and Danny all looked back at what had been an oil rig. She was still collapsing in on herself, it had been close, they looked at each other, the unspoken obvious reality passing between them. Tex took a deep breath, "Is now a good time to say my butt hurts and I request that nice lady doctor to see me when we get back on the ship."

Danny and Wolf laughed, you could be almost caught in burning hell yet somethings never changed.


	29. Chapter 29

Hi Everyone, thanks for still reading, hopefully no one is getting bored. I keep thinking up what should come next and then end up writing something else. Pretty certain when I first started writing this fan fic only half of these chapters were going exist but hopefully you're all still enjoying it.

The ship was calm, the crew were tired. Tired and grieving. The last few hours had been manic, even for Danny it had been something completely new. He'd seen first aid posts but they had been different, more organised, more medics. He'd realised once they'd gotten back on board that they were never going to save Bivas or Chung, they were too hurt. In Afghanistan there'd been a chain of evacuation but here, this was the end of the chain. The stark reality was that this was the end, there was no surgeon, no hospital a helicopter ride away – this was it. You could either be fixed by Dr Scott or Doc Rios or probably not at all. The flats were empty, there were a couple of people still in the hanger, clearing it up. Wolfe had stayed behind to prepare Bivas' body for a burial at sea and Kara had volunteered to stay with him. He'd managed to catch her eye across the hanger and he'd seen the smile of relief on her face when he'd walked in but he'd not had chance to talk to her. This was not about them, this was about their shipmates, they'd find time later. He still had to write up his report from the mission, speak to the Captain and find Burke. Their last conversation hadn't gone well but he was still his friend. In all honesty Danny wasn't sure which conversation he was least looking forward to, the heart-breaking conversation with Burke or the conversation with the CO. Danny moved into his cabin, he needed to change his clothes, they smelt of sweat, blood, smoke and dirt. He found Tex laying on his stomach in his pit.

"Hey," Danny nodded towards him. Tex turned his head,

"Hey,"

"Did the nice lady doctor fix your butt?" Danny asked him, sniffing under his arms, He really needed a shower but there was no time, so he just sprayed some deodorant.

"Well, she was coming over to see me and sort me out, then your friend….. Tom…. collapses and she rushes over to see him. I'll tell you, some people will do anything for a bit of female attention. You'd never catch me doing that." Tex said with mock indignation. Danny laughed through his nose and pulled a clean on.

"Yeah, right." The material felt clean and fresh against his skin.

"But Doc Rios, he gave me some good pills, might have one now." Tex knocked a couple of capsules out of a bottle onto the bed and threw them into his mouth. Then he read the label, "Hmmmm, tramadol, apparently I'm not handle heavy machinery but nothing on here about firing a weapon, so we're all good." He drawled.

Danny took the bottle out of Tex's hand, '2 capsules every 4 hours." The label read.

"Did you have some of these in the hanger?" Danny asked, frowning at Tex.

Tex laughed, "Nah, jab o' morphine up there."

"hmmm, well," he said putting the bottle in lipped shelf next to the sink, "no more for four hours," he told Tex with a point of him finger.

"Aye aye, Captain," Tex replied with a grin, casually saluting Danny.

"I mean it," he told Tex. He wondered if this would be what it would be like to have a teenager, not really the ideal time to start practising his parenting techniques.

"Hey Danny –Boy, you know you'll know you're going to be a good dad, right?"

Danny looked at him, it was like Tex had read his mind.

"Why do you say that?"

Tex squinted at him, it reminded Danny of his Uncle Max who always drank far too much before Christmas dinner then spent the whole meal, making no sense.

"Well, y'know, you're good with your team. If you treat your kid like you treat your men, then you're going to be fine."

Danny had to turn away and faced the sink, he wasn't sure he was doing a good job. His team were dead, was that a good job, had he really been taking care of them?

"Like today, you got us all off the rig." Tex continued, "ah, that pain in my butt is slowly fading." He took a deep breath and noisily breathed out.

"It was hard loosing Frankie and then I had to give you his bunk but, Tex, you're….. I couldn't ask for someone better. I….." Danny gripped the sink as he thought of what to say next. Maybe it was the intensity of the day, the reflection taking place - that it could've been so much worse. He liked Tex and he was a friend, a close friend now, with some fatherly advice mixed in. Danny didn't often do bromance but at this moment in time it felt the right thing to say, "Over the last few weeks, I've….." he paused looking for words, "really appreciated your friendship and I feel like…." Finding the right words was hard, he turned to Tex, "you're like my brother, my weird older bro…." he stared at Tex, who laid passed out on the bed, "….ther" he smiled to himself and Tex snored loudly.

The tannoy crackled to life. "Lieutenant Green report to the XO's cabin." came the pipe. Danny sighed, time to get back to work and have one of those conversations he knew he wasn't going to be to avoid.


	30. Chapter 30

Hi everyone, so finally back to Kara and Danny. hopefully it won't disappoint. Enjoy.

Lt Green knocked on the XO's cabin door.

"Come in Lt Green," he heard the XO and Danny let himself in, the XO sat behind his desk, two glasses of scotch on his desk. The XO motioned wearily at the chair in front of his desk.

"Take a seat, it's been a long day."

"Sir," Danny said, nodding in agreement and sat heavily in the chair. It felt like it might be the first time he'd at down since the day started. In fact, he wasn't quite sure how many hours had been in this day. Was it even the same day?

"Completely under the radar of course, but, um…." Slattery nodded towards the tumblers. Danny leaned forward to take one, then stopped.

"Actually I'd best not. We are meant to be dry and I don't know when we'll next to be active."

Slattery nodded with understanding and picked up both glasses with one hand, the glasses clinking and he decanted the whisky back into a bottle he got out of his desk drawer. There was an easy silence between them. Technically, the XO was his superior but Danny felt that his training and deployed experience meant there was a little less formality in their relationship. He has noticed that Burke did not share the same relaxed relationship, in fact none of the ship's lieutenants had the same relaxed relationship. Technically Danny was still a temporary member of the Nathan James' crew, one of the embarked force that had come on for the trip to the Antarctic, it's just that he was now the only one left from that team. Maybe that was another reason why Slattery viewed him with less formality.

After a couple of minutes Mike broke the silence. "Had chance to write up your report?"

"No, not yet." Danny rested forward on his knees.

"Spoken to the Captain yet?" Slattery asked.

"No." Danny shook his head.

"Managed to speak to Burke yet?"

"Not yet." He felt like he hadn't achieved much since the ship had quietened down, "I'll get right to it. I was on my way, when the pipe was made."

"I wasn't hassling you, I was just asking. I have to get back to the bridge shortly. With the Captain now on bed rest for a few days, I'll be up there more and the crew need some rest."

He reached into his drawer again and pulled out a hip flask, setting it on the desk. He nodded to it.

"For Burke. Stand him down for the night and I want my flask back tomorrow." He stood up and Danny joined him. "Best get on," Slattery told him, walking him to the door. Danny slipped the flask ina pocket and stepped out into the flat. He wandered aft, trying to think where he last saw Burke, when suddenly a hand pulled him into a workspace. He regained his balance and came face to face with Kara.

"Hey," she smiled and even though it was a tired smile, he found himself energised by her presence.

"Hi," he said softly back. He hooked the tips of his fingers over her belt and pulled her close, she gave no resistance and rested her forehead against his chest. The height difference between them allowed him to kiss the top of her head, then gently he rested his head on top of hers. He wrapped his arms around her, completely enveloping her against him. She could smell his clean shirt, the residual smell of the day beneath it. They stood there, like that for a few moments.

"How was your day," she finally asked him.

"It has been a shit, shit day." He sighed, "How was yours?"

"Long." She replied.

"Are you…" he hesitated, "…..two….. ok?" He felt her pulled slightly back and look up at him. She put her hands to his face and looked him in the eyes.

"We're both fine," she said firmly with a smile. "Do you need to hear something good right now?"

He brushed a stray bit of hair from her face and shook his head in happy disbelieve and it's like he felt his heart fill with love, he had a woman who knew exactly what to say to him.

"I do, I really do." The whole world could disappear right now and he wouldn't notice because it was just to the two of them in this moment.

"I can feel the baby move." She said excitedly, her smile stretched across her face.

Danny just stared at her in wonder for a moment, "Really?" then smiled and he placed a hand on her tummy.

"I feel really silly because I thought there was something really wrong," she bit her lip and covered her face partially with her hand. "I panicked and ended up rushing off to see Dr Scott. I thought I was having a miscarriage." She whispered, her eyes started to fill with tears.

Danny pulled her back into a hug.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly, "this is good, it wasn't a miscarriage, it's all fine. This is _good_." He repeated.

"I'm sorry for being pathetic, it's been a long day and I don't want to loose this baby, Danny. I don't want to loose you." Danny rocked her again. And it took a second for what she had said to sink in. He leaned back to be able to look at her.

"Kara, I'm here. Do you think that if you have a miscarriage, I'd leave you? You think I'm only here because of our baby."

She didn't look at him, just looked down at the deck. It had crossed her mind, maybe it had just been a deployment romance and he was duty bound to her by a baby. No baby and no need to stay with her.

Danny had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, today must be one of those insecure days that the XO had once mentioned. He then checked himself, had he lead her to this impression that there was only the baby keeping him in the relationship.

"Kara," he pulled her face up to his," there is more than this baby that ties me to you. If something happens then we deal with it but it doesn't mean it's over between us if we lose this baby. We have so much to look forward to. I love you and I will tell you that every time you doubt us." He looked at her with stern but kind eyes, "But you have to stop thinking that I'm going to leave you."

Kara searched his face, the last thing she wanted was to piss him off by being insecure.

"I'll never think it again," she told him truthfully. She reached up and kissed him. Their relationship was an odd one, she knew he loved her but the experiences they'd had as a couple were all out of sync, she was pregnant but they'd never been on a date, or spent a night together, or even slept next to each other. They'd had brief, stolen moments, near death experiences and an apocalypse to contend with. Maybe this was the new way to find love.

Danny smiled again, the sadness and his tiredness dissolving, "This is so exciting, kicking means he has legs, it's turning into a small person. _Our_ small person," he put his hand back on her stomach, he wondered if he couldn't feel it move because of the thickness of her uniform.

"I don't feel anything." He said a little disappointed.

"Ah, well Rachael did say that you probably wouldn't feel it for another couple of weeks. Right now, it's like a fluttering or a ripple inside."

"You get all the good bits." He told her lightly.

"And like I've said before, I'll remind you of that comment when I have to push." Came her reply.

"DO YOU HEAR THERE. LIEUTENANT FOSTER TO REPORT TO THE CAPTAIN CABIN." The pipe brought them back to the world onboard the Nathan James.

Danny looked at her quizzically, "What's that about?"

Her face reflected his puzzled look. "Got no idea. I'd best go find out." She started to leave and Danny grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"One last kiss, I'm about to have a long night and I need it to get me through it."

"In that case, I'd best make it a good one." She said as he swept her into his arms and lost himself for a few more moments in this world that took him away from the currently harsh reality of the USS Nathan James.


	31. Chapter 31

Hi Everyone, thank you for reading and the comments. I'm having a fairly productive week, got another chapter, slowly getting towards the end of season 2. Season 1 and 2 are on sky boxsets and just re-watching, got a few continuity mistakes in but hopefully that can be overlooked. Anyway, enjoy.

Kara headed back aft to the dry store and sighed, her day had been long. She tried not to let the pregnancy get in the way of work and interfere but she was tired now. She'd have been tired after a day like this before but now she felt exhausted. Still one last job and then she could sink into that bed of hers. She'd seen Danny briefly, knew he was fine so she could sleep easy. At the dry store hatch a guard stood and Kara reached up to the top clip.

"Here on orders of the Captain," she told the guard and he nodded, he'd been expecting her.

 _"_ _How are you feeling, Sir?" Kara asked the Captain, who was propped up in his pit, his bandaged abdomen visible above the sheet._

 _"_ _I've had better days." He told her dryly. Kara thought he might be referring to the whole day rather than just his wound. Nearby Dr Scott rustles some packages and Captain Chandler shot a somewhat annoyed sideways glance at her, "But I'm FINE," he then added somewhat pointedly. Kara suspected that the bed rest was somewhat enforced and that Dr Scott was there more to make sure he stayed in bed rather than because he was injured._

 _"_ _I need you to do something for me."_

 _"_ _Yes, Sir," Lt Foster replied._

 _"_ _The woman, I brought back. I want you to settle her into the ship."_

 _Kara shut her eyes for a moment and thought back to earlier, she had vaguely registered a civilian woman with the Captain when they were brought back on board but with all that needed to be doing she hadn't taken much notice of the young woman._

 _"_ _We need her help and she's currently under guard in the dry store but we need her on our side so I want you to settle her in, show her round, find her a cabin. Extend that Nathan James hospitality that we've become so good at recently."_

 _He was right, they'd had a lot of non-crew on board recently, from Doctors, to kids to the President. A thought struck Kara,_

 _"_ _Is she a risk to the President, Sir?"_

 _Tom mulled over the question, judging by her behaviour on the rig he didn't think so._

 _"_ _I don't think we need to be concerned…..but I wouldn't go setting up any meetings between the two of them just yet. Let's get her settled in and on our side first."_

So that's what she was here to do. She pulled down the top clip with a clunk, then the bottom clip and stepped over. Inside a young woman with dark wild hair complete with red streaks looked at her.

"About time, I'm not a prisoner, y'know." She told Kara with some attitude.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Kara told her with some feeling and the woman nodded in acceptance, apart from Kara hadn't finished, "But you know were busy, trying to save crewmates, preparing bodies for burial and just trying to make some order out of the chaos." Kara stared at her and Val was the first one to look away, suddenly feeling a little sheepish. She'd seen how hard they'd taken their loss, sat there in the middle of it all, observing. It had been dreamlike, looking in on other people's pain and grief.

"I'm sorry about your friends." Val said quietly. Kara swallowed hard.

"It's the life we lead," was all she could think of to say. "Anyway the Captain wants me to show you your cabin and the mess." She stepped back through the hatch, the guard had now left and Val followed behind.

"I put you in the cabin next to mine, it's been empty since Norfolk." Despite bed spaces being at a premium it somehow never been reoccupied. The kids had been offered it but they'd wanted to stay together, it wasn't right of POTUS and the Doctor from the Souls seemed to prefer sleeping on a cot in the sickbay.

They'd walked for a little while, to Val it just seemed a network of walkways and doors.

"This is the mess, you'll eat in here," Kara motioned to her left and opened a door, showing her a dining room. Inside stood two men, Val recognised them from the rig. The blonde and brunette that had helped her. She thought she'd heard the dark haired one speak with an Australian accent. They stopped mid conversation and looked at them.

"Lieutenant, Lieutenant," Kara addressed them both smartly and they nodded back, Kara backed out.

"So that's the mess."

"There are some brooding but good looking men o this ship." Val said, "The blonde one, he particularly good looking."

"I think he has a girlfriend." Kara said over her shoulder, moving off down the flat.

"Shame but you know a lot of people died with the virus." She said trying to be light.

"I think she's on board." Kara said, sounding unimpressed by her comment.

Val tried to remember exactly what he'd said to her on the rig about a girlfriend, he'd shouted something at her.

"Well, people split up." She replied and Kara nodded with tight lips.

"Rumour has it they're pretty solid."

Had she heard him say his girlfriend was pregnant? Maybe the adrenaline rush had caused her to imagine things.

"Hmm, yeah, he said something about her when we were on the rig." Val mulled. It took all of Kara's composure not to ask what Danny had said, to ask for the details. Why had he even mentioned her to a complete stranger? Accompanying that curiosity there was a little bit of satisfaction that he was willing to say in public that he had a girlfriend.

"Oh well, there's always the cute brooding Australian." She said flippantly and Kara sighed. Maybe this was Val's way of trying make friends but Kara wasn't going to engage with it, she didn't need this woman to know anything about her or her crewmates. She pointed out the heads and showers to Val and continued walking.

They reached the cabin and Kara stopped. "You're in here. I found you a towel and put you in some of my clothes for you to wear if you wanted to change." Kara thought about the "NAVY" sweatpants and that was on the bed in there, "though they may not be to your taste." She said as an after-thought.

"You don't like me, do you?" Val challenged her.

"I don't know you," Kara said evenly, "I don't know if you're here to help." She said challenging her back. "What you do from here, that's your decision."

Val nodded, she wanted to like them, she wanted to help them but she had been drawn in by Shaun, how did she know this was the real thing?

"Well, thanks for showing me round." Val tried not to be awkward and Kara nodded. She motioned over her shoulder,

"I live here, if you need anything." Kara offered and Val saw it as the first extension of friendship. Kara turned to leave and Val, reached up and toucher her shoulder.

"I really am sorry about your friends."

Kara didn't turn but patted Val's hand that was still on her shoulder before disappearing into her cabin.


	32. Chapter 32

Hi Everyone, hope you enjoy the next bit, maybe a little bit sad. Thanks for your continue support and reading.

Carlton Burk sat alone in his thoughts, he sat on a bollard staring out at the sea. He'd been there the last couple of hours. The sun had set and it was dusk. It has been a beautiful sunset but Carlton hadn't noticed, he hadn't notice daylight leave and the stars start to twinkle. Mostly he'd been left alone, a couple of people had been up and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder but he'd neither turned or acknowledged their presence and they'd left after a few minutes. He was vaguely aware that someone sat down on the bollard next to him. He registered Danny lean forward, resting his hands on the guardrail and stare out to sea. Burk made no move to speak and the two of them stayed this way for some time. In the back of his mind Carlton has some vague recollection of a quote and eventually he spoke:

"Don't walk behind me I may not lead, don't walk in front of me I may not follow…" then he stopped.

Danny didn't turn but his mouth opened, "Just walk beside me and be my friend." He finished quietly, sending his words across the dark ocean. "We don't have to talk, I'll just sit here with you…. For as long as you need."

They went back to sitting in silence.

Carlton broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Y'know, you were the last person I thought would come sit with me."

Danny finally looked at him and frowned, "You once sat with me, you sat with me through one of the worst nights of my life. It's what friends do." The night of the trial, one of the longest he'd ever experienced and Carlton had stayed with him until he'd fallen asleep in the mess, at which point Danny had left him to thrash out his frustration in the gym.

"I said some harsh things." Carlton said, he voice permeated with sadness and remorse.

Danny recalled the conversation, the comments about his baby and Kara. It was hard to believe it had only been yesterday morning.

"You were angry, don't worry about it" Danny wondered if it was easier for Burk to talk about this than talk about Ravit's death.

"I wanted what you have. So badly and it felt like you didn't want anyone else to have that. I was angry." Carlton confessed.

"And it pissed me off," Danny told him, " but I wasn't there to take anything away from you, I wanted to…." Danny tailed off, wondering if there was any point in finishing the sentence, he'd only wanted to stop Burk from getting caught or making the same mistakes as him. There was silence again. Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out the flask, unscrewing the cap, then passing it to Carlton.

"From the Big Guy," he referred to the XO with an informal nickname used by the crew, "he's stood you down and wants his flask back tomorrow."

Carlton rubbed his face as if suddenly weary and thinking over the offer. He nodded and took the flask, swigging back a mouthful. The burning of the scotch as it went down his throat was somewhat soothing. He swallowed.

"How are your injuries?" Danny asked.

"I don't feel anything, no pain, not even sadness, I'm just… numb." The last word was said so forlornly that Danny felt he had no words to offer. They sat for some time, in silence, Carlton occasionally taking a mouthful from the flask. Eventually he turned to Danny.

"I know what you did today. I know you told me to come back to the ship so that I wouldn't have to choose."

Danny almost couldn't bear the intense gaze in Carlton's eyes, he smiled weakly.

"I sent you back because you looked like shit." He bantered and Carlton smiled sadly.

"I don't know what I would've done. I didn't know her well but I think I loved her. Deep down I knew, it was never going to be the greatest romance, nothing like you and Kara but still, it was something. The thing is, there's been so much loss already and you have to make that decision, do you love greater now because of all the loss that's gone before and small things like going on dates are no longer important because almost every day you stare death in the face or do you walk away from ever wanting to love because you could them so easily. I chose to embrace the love, if I chose love does that mean I'd have given up on the mission? I don't know what I would've chosen."

Danny felt that unease inside, he wasn't the greatest with such open conversations. Sure he was a modern man, he could cry and bare his soul – when needed but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Still this was his friend and he could sit here with him whilst he talk through his feelings.

"All I could think was that I couldn't leave her, I couldn't leave her without someone to hold her hand and make her feel she wasn't alone."

"Compassion will always make sense. Love is a greater motivator than hate." Danny commented.

"I pretty much hate the world right now." Carlton confessed.

"But that hate only exists because of love." Danny countered.

"They took her away from me, Danny." Carlton hung his head down and Danny noticed a tear hit the deck. He put his hand on Carlton's back and looked away, it felt almost too intrusive to see him cry.

Danny could only think how her would feel if it had been him and Kara in this position. He wasn't sure he'd have be sitting on a bollard looking out at the sea. He'd probably be trying to knock ten rounds of shit out of someone or planning on blowing something up. Carlton finally looked up and dashed a hand against his cheek.

"They took away having something to live for. I was angry at you when you told me to be careful because I think I really want that. I wanted someone who notices me and she did notice me." Burk recollected her comment about his bootlace and knowing Ravit the conversation she'd promised him on the rig regarding his bootlace, would've probably ended up with him being tied up. She'd definitely been the dominant, the couple of times they'd found themselves naked together had always ended up with her biting or scratching him, it wasn't going to be long before she started tying him up. t had been exciting and passionate. He wondered if that's what she'd had planned for when they got alongside and could really let their hair down without the risk of getting caught. The thought even made him smile a little. The alcohol was making him feel more relaxed, still numb but the words flowed now.

"I look at you and Kara and I wanted that - that feeling of having something to always come back to. To belong to something and not be alone. To someone who didn't know, you'd never know you two were involved, you rarely sit together at scran, you only talk about work in public and up until meeting Ravit and learning to sneak around, I had no idea how you got that girl pregnant. But you have to hide it because no one can know." Carlton emphasized his point by waving the flask at Danny, Danny reached up slowly and tugged it out of Carlton's hand before it flew overboard.

Danny had never thought about how other people saw his relationship with Kara. They kept it discreet as requested and other people certainly weren't talking to them about it. They might chatter amongst themselves but they certainly didn't ask Danny or Kara about their relationship or the pregnancy. He knew the crew had been supportive of Kara by their behaviour towards her especially after Baltimore and there were occasional comments were made to him about becoming a dad but only by his team or the XO. At first they'd had a couple of stares when it had been revealed that they had almost failed the crew and the mission because of their relationship but over time it had become old news, there were new rumours for people to spread and now, it was just accepted.

"They screwed me out of my happy ending, Danny, I broke the rules, fraternised and then I watched her die so now I choose not to choose love because it hurts." Burk pointed a finger at Danny and blinked slowly. Then came the question that Danny dreaded.

"How do you get up every day and do your job knowing that it could all be taken away from you?"

Danny just stared at him, it was a fair question and one that Danny had often pushed aside. He carefully thought about his answer, then said slowly:

"I don't think about it and I don't let fear win. I once almost let it get the better of me, the fear of losing her was too great and I almost blew everything to keep her safe. I pushed her away and buried what I felt because I was scared but even then I couldn't stop loving her. It is more intense now, most days you have to fight to get to the end of and I can't imagine losing her, I can't even think about the hurt but ultimately the future with her wins out and I do choose love, even with all the risks."

"And a baby." Carlton reminded him.

"Yeah, there was never a chance I'd walk away after that." Danny said.

"I think I need it to work for someone right now, even if it's not for me. I need to see good, I don't know if I believe it's there anymore. Everything I had faith in is collapsing around me, I'm struggling right now."

"There's still good here on the Nathan James, you need to believe that. We're your family, don't abandon us. The Nathan James needs you, you have to keep fighting, get angry and fight for the future." Danny implored.

Carlton Burk stared up at the night sky, a satellite arched lazily across the night sky, he took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly. He finally looked Danny in the eye, a new focus flashing across his face.

"I'll do it - for Ravit and for the Nathan James." He vowed.


	33. Chapter 33

Hi Everyone. I hope this satisfies you all. I've had a great week catching up with my story and I thank you for you continued reading. So enjoy.

"Did he ask you?" Danny asked vehemently as he and Kara left the memorial in the enlisted men's dining room.

"Yes." Kara said with some exasperation.

"What did you say? Did you say no?" Danny pestered, his voice a little louder. Kara noticed a couple of stares from some of the crew in the p-way.

"Shhhh, keep your voice down." She told him quietly with a glare and he glared back at her. He clenched his jaw and counted to ten, she could be infuriating. "We will talk about it later - in private."

"Kara…" he pleaded quietly.

"I have to go." She told him firmly before stepping into the CIC and the door closing in Danny's face. Danny turned on his heel and strode back to his cabin. He stepped inside.

"Bloody women." He stated to Tex who was sorting his kit out, "Arghh, she just….argh." he raised his hand in exasperation.

"I take it she's decided to stay on board and hunt the sub." Tex said knowingly.

"From the sound of it but we haven't actually discussed it properly yet. I wish I had been there when they asked, it's my baby too." The frustration was clear in his voice.

"Danny, if you had it your way, what would you do with Kara over the next twenty-four hours?" Tex enquired, his eyebrows raised in question. Danny thought for a moment.

"Wrap her in cotton wool and hide her in some magical place where nothing bad happens."

"And you know that place is bullshit. Plus, the reason you love that gal is her fighting spirit and independent nature. If she let you wrap her up in cotton wool, she would not be the kind of woman you'd be attracted to. Danny, if you make a big deal out this you will ruin what time there is left." Tex told him firmly. "Besides, do you really think being on the ship is more dangerous than going ashore?"

"They're getting the President and Dr Scott off, doesn't that say enough."

Tex shrugged. "I don't know, I don't know where is safe anymore. Personally, I think the Captain's getting them off because it's one less thing for him to worry about. He know Kara can look after herself. She doesn't need watching or guarding. She'll be fine and the ship will be fine. You have to ask yourself as well, if she was ashore and there was a threat to her and the President and you had to choose, would you be able to put others before her? Could you still do the mission?"

Danny looked at him, his initial anger and frustration dying away. The man had a way with words. Danny thought about his conversation with Carlton about having to decide and he just stood there. Tex smiled a knowing smile.

"You natural instinct is to protect what is yours but Kara's smart, she'll have thought about all of this. She wants to be here, she knows she's the best at her job on this ship and by leaving, she's putting the Nathan James and her family at risk, she's not willing to make them vulnerable. She also knows that you would never forgive yourself for whatever decision you had to make if she went ashore. This is one of those times she's given you an out, whether by design or not. She has taken the decision out of your hands. You're not telling me that if you could do that for a friend, you wouldn't."

The question went unanswered, they both knew that Danny had already made the call for someone else and spared them that torment.

"You're right." Danny conceded and Tex looked at him incredulously,

"Of course I am." They both laughed.

"Thanks Tex." Danny started to sort his kit too, pulling the contents of his day sack out on his pit.

"You'd have got there, Danny." Tex reassured him, "it just sometimes helps to have a friend help you process.

He'd seen her, at the briefing in the CIC. He'd smiled at her, to let her know it was ok and she'd smiled back, it was enough to know they were ok. Emotions were running just a bit high, it felt like the end was near, whatever the end was going to be. The Nathan James was getting ready to fight. Disaster stations had been prepped, they'd been locked down into watertight state because who knew when the crazy Ramsey Brothers would decide to rear their ugly head again. You had to admire their ability to adapt, they'd taken a submarine and crewed it with a ragtag bunch and they were fighting until the end. That was part of the problem, at least with Roskov there had been an element of classical tactical training, classic plays but this was unpredictable. Shaun Ramsey hadn't been some military genius that had written a book, in Shaun's won words he was "guided by force greater than mankind because he was Chosen." Absolute crackpot.

Tex had been right, nowhere was guaranteed to be safe and Kara was able to make the decision that best suited her and their baby. She would never intentionally put herself in harm's way now. He knew there might need to be an apology tonight considering his earlier questioning but he knew he'd been close to over reacting, Emotions were high, neither he or Kara had spoken it out loud but they knew that this could be it for either of them. Danny's team were to leave at first light. He looked at his watch, 2300, with first light at 0530, in that time he hoped to be able to catch a couple of hours sleep. He wouldn't need more than that, caffeine and adrenaline would get him through the rest.

Danny knocked on Kara's cabin door and entered when he heard her call "come in." She was sat on her bunk in sweatpants and "NAVY" tee. Her mp3 player was resting on her small bump, neither of them spoke, Kara chewed her bottom lip.

Eventually she said, "Are you pissed at me?" her mouth setting into a firm line. Danny's face softened and he smiled.

"No," he said softly, crossing the cabin to be closer to her. "I'm not mad at you, I understand."

"I didn't do it to piss you off but I need to be here. I can't leave them without a TAO that can do the job and you know I can bring it, Danny." She leaned forward towards him and he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I know and you'll get them this time. I told you, I'm not mad. I love you Kara Foster, let's move on and spend the next five hours only talking about good things."

"Danny, I refuse to believe this is our last five hours together." She blurted out, "You will come back to us."

"You'd better believe it." He said with a twinkle, "I will not let you raise our baby alone. Speaking of being alone, where's Alisha?" he asked, hoping she'd gone somewhere that involved not coming back for some time. Sure, he liked her but he liked time alone with Kara even more.

"On watch until midnight." She told him.

"Oh," Danny hoped he didn't sound as disappointed as he felt and Kara laugh at his poor effort, her turn for her eyes to twinkle as she struggled to hold in her laughter.

"But, she volunteered to be OIC of the quick reaction force tonight so she's sleeping in the duty cabin next to the bridge." Kara said laughing, knowing all along that her friend wouldn't be back. Danny grinned at her and shook his head,

"That was really mean," he said laughing, "really mean making me think we only had an hour together. You know what the punishment for that is? Right?" He clambered up onto the top bunk and Kara started laughing, curling up herself into a ball.

"You get tickled for that." He straddled her as she laid curled up on her side and started to tickle her, feebly Kara swatted him away and was laughing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Stop, please stop." She pleaded with a grin on her face holding her hands up. Danny laced his fingers into hers, aware that there was still no ring on that left fourth finger. He promised himself that he'd do it once this mission was over. He smiled charmingly at her.

"Are you really sorry?" he asked.

"Don't smile at me like that, you know what it does to me."

Yes, he knew. It was what probably led to Kara getting pregnant, she had always said from the start that she couldn't resist _that_ smile. He leaned down and kissed her deeply. It felt electric and Kara kissed him back just as hard. He wasn't sure what caused it to permeate his thoughts but Danny stopped and looked up, a puzzled look on his face.

"Are you ok?" Kara asked, almost concerned.

"I keep thinking I hear music." He told her, it was faint but definitely there. Kara stopped and listened too.

"Oh, it's my ipod." She reached round and fished out the device, Danny settled next to her as she pulled out the headphones that had become entangled around them, "I was playing music for the baby, they say it's good for their development."

He held up one headphone, curious to see what music she was playing their child, his eyes widened and a look of horror crossed his face. He sat up and just looked at her.

"No," he told her firmly, "Kara, for the love of God, I beg of you, do not feed our baby the Dixie Chicks. In fact no country music." He told her. This baby was being born into a broken world as it was, it didn't need to be made any worse by helpings of the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus and his Achy Breaky Heart.

"What do you suggest?" Kara said, feigning hurt at his reaction to her music.

"I don't know, a bit of Metallica, Foo Fighters maybe."

"I'll let you play those for the baby."

"I can't wait." He told her, rubbing her stomach. It was a small bump again and he hoped the baby was growing ok. He wasn't really sure when bumps grew.

"Do you want to have sex?" Kara asked him.

"That's pretty formal, Kara, normally it's just a bit more spontaneous." He teased her. He saw the worried look on her face.

"I'm just aware, this might be the last….." Kara said quietly and Danny silenced her with a kiss.

"Kara, this won't be the last time we're together." He reassured her, Kara nodded silently.

"Can you just hold me?" She asked and he nodded.

"Of course." He flicked on her bunk light, jumped down from the bunk and turned off the main light. The cabin sunk into a calm glow and Danny took off his boots before climbing back up beside her. Kara shuffled over and he snuggled in behind her, taking the role of big spoon. They'd never had the opportunity to do this before and once they'd settled down it felt good. They fit together well, Kara was short enough to fit into Danny's shape and as he wrapped an arm round her, Kara linked her fingers into his.

"I have a game for us to play." He told her softly after a few minutes in silence.

"What kind of game?" Kara asked.

"I made it up. It's called "When this is all over." Let me demonstrate: When this is all over, we'll have a beautiful house."

Kara smiled.

"I like this game." He could hear her smiling even though he couldn't see her face. "ok, my turn. When this is all over, we'll have a healthy, happy baby." Kara moved their linked hands down to rest on her stomach.

"When this I all over we'll have a dog." Danny told her and Kara laughed.

"We already have a dog," she pointed out.

"Halsey? He doesn't count, he has a title and one of the men." Danny told her with a laugh, "When this is all over, we'll have friends round for barbeques in the back yard and I'm going to build a swing set."

"You can build things?" Kara asked surprised, they'd never really discussed how practical either of them were and Kara realised there was going to be a lot to find out about each other.

"Yeah, my dad taught me. He was good at building things." Kara had only seen one photo of Danny's family and she tried to picture them together.

"When all this is over, we'll decorate a nursery together and I'll watch you put those skills to use when you build a crib."

Kara saw them both in an airy room, painted in light colours, sun streaming through the window. He'd put together the crib as Kara offered assistance from behind her bump. Suddenly, without realising it a sob came out, it came from the depths of her soul and it came without warning. It even surprised Kara. Danny jerked up and saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Kara!" he exclaimed concerned.

"It's hormones," she told him, shutting her eyes trying to stop the tears. "Ignore me."

The problem was the imagine was there now, it was one of her building that crib alone.

Kara turned into him and held her as she cried into his chest, he didn't ask, he just let her cry and get it out. He rubbed her back and eventually she stopped crying but he continued to hold her. When she pulled her head back her eyes were red and her face blotchy, he wiped away the remains of a tear from her cheek, with his thumb.

"Ok then, how do you feel about this one, when all this is over we'll live on the same street as your mom and Pete." Danny put it out there, trying to think of something that meant Kara would never feel alone.

"You wouldn't mind that?" Kara asked, loving Danny even more for the way he thought.

"She's your mom, of course. Everyone should have family around if they can and if they want them there."

"I think I'd like that," she said slowly, "I find it odd how the virus was the thing that sorted her addiction, she seemed really happy, like she'd found her place. I want to give her the chance to be involved." Kara had given Debbie many chances before but this time she really thought Debbie might have sorted herself out.

"I'm sorry for crying." Kara told him, "I didn't mean to, it's just hormones." Kara didn't want Danny to think she was weak or trying to make him feel bad for doing his job.

"It's fine," he told, in a way it was nice to know she cared but he'd rather not see her cry, he held her closer. "When all this is over, we're going to have long lie ins on a weekend and I'll make love to you, slow and passionate." He whispered in her ear. He knew it would make her smile.

"I'd really like that because once this is over, I'm definitely going to allow myself to be that horny pregnant woman." Kara told him, with a cheeky smile. She kissed his hand and caught sight of his watch. "I should let you get some sleep before tomorrow."

He kissed her goodnight and she flipped off the bunk light before turning back over and resumed the spoons position they'd had before. He loved being this close to her, being able to smell her hair and feel how soft her skin was. He heard her breathing slow down as she drifted off. Danny had one final though as he drifted off to sleep.

 _"_ _When this is all over, I'm going to marry you."_


	34. Chapter 34

Hi Everyone, so we're at that point, the point where it all started and I had my inspiration to write. Originally this is where I was going to end my story but I'm really enjoying writing it and I hope you're all enjoying reading it, plus there's a big chunk of storyline missing between season 2 and 3 that might need filling. I mean, who doesn't like a good wedding and baby story, so I'm going to keep writing. I hope you keep reading. Enjoy reading and I'd like to dedicated this chapter to all those military families and partners out there who have had that last goodbye moment.

Danny had woken up with a couple of hours to get himself ready for going ashore. He needed to pick up his day sack and draw his weapon. He'd woken before his alarm went off but it gave him time nuzzle into Kara, with hindsight he'd not been as gentle as he'd thought as it had woken Kara. They'd finally spent the night together, sleeping in the same bed, it wasn't how he'd ever planned it but it had been right. It had been another morning of firsts, the first time he'd been able to wake up beside her, the first time he'd been able to make love to her, not some quick bit of fun in the shower or the kit store but slow and gentle. He'd been able to explore her body with his hands, trying to commit each touch, each kiss and caress to memory. It had felt like Kara was doing the same, it felt like her hands were touching parts of his body they'd never touched before. When there's chance someone is going to be taken away from you forever, you want to create that perfect memory, that perfect goodbye. Kara had told him she'd not walk with him to the hanger, she didn't want another goodbye, one in public, one that would be awkward and seen by the rest of the world. He'd looked her in the eyes and he told her he'd see her later, then he'd kissed her one last time before walking out the door.

Kara rounded the corner and there he was. The boat launch had been delayed and he'd gone back to armoury to pick up another magazine, just as Kara had left the CIC to go the heads. As fate would have it, this morning hadn't been their last moment together.

Danny ripped off the patch on his day-sack, there was no need to sanitise kit but it was habit. He looked up and there she was. They locked eyes for a few moments.

"Lieutenant," she said formally. He eyed her, briefly remembering their time together this morning, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Lieutenant," he returned.

"You doing ok?" she asked softly.

"As good as I can be." His voice waivered slightly. They both knew this wasn't the ideal place to have that last conversation. Danny had never had this kind of feeling before prior to potential combat and it was all to do with her. His eyes stared levelly at her, he hoped he knew how much he loved her.

Kara checked round her, the flat was empty and she moved forward, putting her hand on his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

"Stay safe out there," she said in hushed tones.

He nodded at her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You too." She nodded back.

She knew the moment had come, that moment you have to leave. She touched him with both hands reassuringly before stepping round him. She felt sick, this was her walking away from him, it took every effort not to run back to him, to demand time stop but she had to go, have the courage to keep walking and believe he would come back. If she didn't leave now, she doubted she'd find the strength to walk away from him again. A few steps in, far enough away from him, she allowed her face to crumple. She'd not let him see her cry, this was bigger than the both of them and she'd not let him see her cry.

"Kara," he called to her and she stopped, needing to regain composure before turning back round. She turned, her face back to normal.

"This sub," he told her ad she nodded, "You've beaten it before." He paused, "You'll sink it this time." He told her defiantly, the look in his eyes told her he believed it. She smiled at his unwavering faith and impulsively she crossed back to him. She reached up with her hands, pulling his face close to her, she kissed him, there could always be one last kiss. He'd spoken his faith in her but she needed to hear that he believed he would come back to her.

"Don't you dare make me raise this child by myself." She warned him, her hands still either side of his face. He shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. Kara barely heard the words but the look in his eyes told her everything needed.

"OK?" he whispered and she nodded with tears starting to form.

He crouched down, his eyes level with her belt and he placed his hand there. Her fingers ran through the hair at the back of his hair and her other hand she had on top of his. Just for a few seconds time stopped. He still felt wonder at the life they'd created together, the tiny Been that grew in there. The Been that had survived so much so far, was hanging in there. The thoughts of what was to come crossed his mind, the life he imagined for himself, Kara and the baby. The mental image of the three of them together played in his head and just for a brief second he let the joy spill over and he laughed softly. Kara had never taken her eyes off him and when he laughed, she laughed too.

He came back up and kissed her. He kissed her with all the hope, love and courage he could muster. It was like ripping his heart out and giving it completely to her. She gave him all reason to live, they were his family, completely his.

"I'll see you soon." He promised and when she looked him in the eyes and nodded he knew she believed him.

"OK," she said, swallowing hard. For the second time she walked bravely away and Danny watched her go, fighting the urge to call her name so she would turn one last time.

He breathed out, time to put the game face on and go to work.


	35. Chapter 35

Hi Everyone, thank you so much for the reviews, really pleased you're all enjoying it. Apologies for this, not very long but just a bit of Mike time. Really do love Mike Slattery. Got a busy week so won't be updating after this until next weekend so just a small chapter to fill the time. Enjoy.

Danny watched the XO fire one last round, it hit it's target square on, the submarine listed, incapacitated and powerless to fight back. There still floating was the USS Nathan James, looking broken and limping slowly away but still floating. Danny closed his eyes for a moment and sent thanks to whatever higher power was looking out for them. Around him he could hear the XO and Tex cheer, it's like he was having some out of body experience and could observe them from above. Danny radioed Vulture team with the good news, it was good to give good news. He could only imagine what it would've been like to see the Nathan James sink from this prime viewing spot, it was a dark thought and one that need not be thought of again.

"Glad you could join us when it mattered, Lt Green," the XO said with a smile, dropping the control box to the ground. Danny wasn't sure if he'd lost consciousness, he must have done because there was gap between feeling the full force of something hit his chest, to opening his eyes and putting a round into one of the bad guys. He breathed in deeply, noticing the dull ache that radiated out from point of impact in the middle of his chest. Tex made his way over and peered at his combat body armour. He whistled through his teeth.

"There's a bullet in there alright." He scratched at the CBA and then picked a bit harder, something working it's way into his fingers. He held it up and Danny could see the bullet, misshapen but definitely a bullet. Tex held it close for him to see.

"You want to keep that, y'know why? That's a bullet that had your name on it and it didn't kill you." Tex said sagely, "You should probably give it to Kara."

"I don't know if I want Kara to know."

"In that case then you should probably avoid telling her you also volunteered to draw their fire too." Mike chipped in with his own wisdom. "Women were funny, you'd think they'd be all impressed by that kind of thing, turns out it just pisses them off, something about being reckless."

Danny hadn't even thought about what he'd done, he'd just gone into combat mode. Danny pointed the XO's arm.

"You're injured Sir."

Mike scowled at his arm, as if it was more an inconvenience than anything else.

"It's not even hit the bone." He said dismissively. He looked out with satisfaction at the bay.

"That is a beautiful sight, seeing the old girl still upright and sailing." He voice full of fondness, then he grinned gleefully. "And I got to kill a sub. I thought Tom was going to get all the fun jobs today. Turned out, it was a big game day and I got the prize." He thought back to his earlier conversation with the Capt. "I definitely want a souvenir of this day." Mike wandered over to the rocket launcher and pulling out his knife he removed the licence plate from the back of the truck. He waved it at Tex and Danny, "This will look great on my wall." He called over.

Tex nodded in amused agreement. "Yeah. Just to check but that thing is completely used up now, right? There's no more missiles in the tubes?"

Slattery grinned proudly, "Nope, there's none left. Nothing left in theses tubes that can hurt us."

"So, do we think that life might settle down a bit now?" Tex asked hopefully.

Mike Slattery pulled out a cigar and lit it, he chomped thoughtfully on it, "I think we might have earnt some r'n'r. Ge the ship alongside, do some fixing, get the President established. She might have survived but the Nathan James is in need of some love right now, we're not going to get far with her like that."

Tex nudged Danny, "You hear that?" he said, "Your boss said there's going to be some down time. You'd best start planning. Where's the box, Danny?"

Danny knew where the ring was, it was in his locker, along with a goodbye letter to Kara and his ipod with a playlist entitled "With love from Dad." He was thankful Kara was not going to be clearing out his locker that evening.

Mike looked over with curiosity. "What's he planning?" he looked at the two of them and smirked knowingly. "You know, I hear Bacon makes great wedding cakes."

"Thanks Sir, I'll bear it in mind." Danny said dryly, he loved Mike Slattery but the less people that knew about his plan to propose the better. He'd like to think Kara would say yes but what if she decided after all of this had happened it didn't matter anymore, that being married wasn't important, after all you can spend the rest of your life with someone and not be married.

Mike set off walking and as he passed Danny he slapped him on the back, causing him to wince as his ribs sang in pain, "Don't worry, she'll say yes. Come on, time to get back." And Danny fell in behind.


	36. Chapter 36

Hi Everyone, thank you for continuing to read and leave feedback. Just a short one tonight but I hope you enjoy.

Val scanned the people in the wardroom, it was being used as the debrief room for what had happened earlier that day. There was definitely a more relaxed vibe on the ship now. A couple of people had even smiled at her in the p-way today. Maybe they were starting to realise she wasn't there to sabotage them. It probably also helped that Alisha Granderson had started to warm to her and had been seen chatting to her in the p-way following the action. It was definitely packed, with some people even having to stand at the back. She'd seen the Lt Green standing with the one they called Wolf, they were both attractive. Wolf had that rugged look going for him and Danny, well, he was just nice and she liked assertive men. She hadn't quite worked out who his girlfriend was though, she'd kept looking and couldn't work it out, she hadn't seen him talk differently to any of the women she'd seen him with, not that she'd seen him with many, just mainly at meal times. Not that she was sure she'd want to date him, he was almost a bit too clean cut for her liking but now she was just curious because supposedly they weren't meant to fratenise.

The heads of department all had to talk through their part, they'd been through the engineering department. It hadn't sounded good, as Lt Cdr Garnett spoke, it sounded like the ship had taken her fair share of damage, bringing home the truth of how close it had been to it being them lying on the bottom of the ocean. It outlook didn't sound great either, little fuel with damaged systems spelt a limp into harbour and then a lengthy ship's maintenance period.

Kara had stood up and debriefed on the weapons status, another something that didn't sound good. Apart from the small arms they had on board and a couple of missiles for the helo in the weapons locker, they had nothing.

Rachael Scott had talked through the success of the contagious cure with the civilians they had come across and the spreading of positive news about the Nathan James and the cure. They had taken video footage which Tom Chandler had told Val he needed her to spread over her network. When she saw the footage she knew she couldn't refuse. It was amazing what this woman had achieved.

Mike Slattery stood up to talk through their part in the mission. He was part of the reason that the debrief had been delayed, apparently it had taken him time to go and get patched up by the doctor and he know stood with his arm in a sling. He started out by saying they'd acted on the information given by the civilians that Dr Scott had treated and taken a small team of Lt Green, Tex and himself to ambush the threat. He described what they had seen and the threat level and then their actions. It turned out that Lt Green had been shot in the chest and Val looked at the women in the room, looking for a clue. Val thought if she was his girlfriend she'd have at least had some sort of reaction to this but none of the women moved, none of them reacted to this. She looked at Danny and Wolf, Wolf made a face of mock sympathy at Danny, pretending to wipe away a tear and Danny nudged him in the ribs, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

As Mike continued Val realised how close they had been to oblivion and Mike talked about what that they had done as if it was nothing. Just another days work, though a tiny smile of glee did creep onto his face as he talked about pressing the button and sinking the sub.

Once the debrief had finished those who had places to be, left the wardroom. The CO, XO and Lt Cdr Garnett disappeared with the president. She saw Burke clap Danny on the back, Danny wincing and placed a hand on his chest.

"Sorry Danny," he said and Danny dismissed the apology with a wave.

"Just caught me off-guard, Doc Rios said they're probably cracked from the impact of the bullet." He said, his hand still on his chest. He stepped across to the coffee machine, where Kara was making cup of tea. The two of them had their backs to everyone else but from Val's position she could see their faces. As Danny reached across to pick up a spoon, he briefly touched her stomach, so brief that if Val hadn't been looking directly at them, she'd have missed it. Kara turned her face to Danny's and smiled with pursed lips and a cocked eyebrow, Danny tilted his head to the side and smiled charmingly at her, the smile reaching his eyes. Kara relaxed and just shook her head, still smiling at him. They had said nothing and had stood next to each other for no more than ten seconds before Kara turned and joined the rest of the group.

Val looked round, no one else had seen it but then they probably all knew anyway and now she did too. Kara Foster was Danny Green's girlfriend.


	37. Chapter 37

Hi Everyone. So, starting to move towards some new stuff, so I hope you enjoy. I agree Chillllll, I really liked Val at the start of season 3 and was sad to see her go. Enjoy the next chapter and thanks for reading and the reviews.

Kara looked out across the River, they were making their way closer to St Louis. Vicksburg had been a bust, not enough people and no one knew what to expect from St Louis. There were still some Immunes out there, just because the Brothers Grimm and their submarine was gone didn't mean to say there wasn't still some nasty surprise waiting for them. Upper deck sentries were posted but the upper deck was still inbounds for crew so the threat level wasn't as high as it could be. Tex had gone, she hadn't seen much of Danny but she'd seen him look a little bit pensive this morning. She'd seen Tex just before he'd left the ship. He said he couldn't promise he'd come to St Louis but if he found his daughter then he'd be back. He'd hugged her and told her to take care of Danny, she promised she'd look after him. It was clear they had formed a strong friendship and that Tex held a great deal of affection for the younger man. She'd wished him luck and really hoped she'd see him again. They'd all become a close knit family over the last few weeks and Kara genuinely loved him. She also knew his need to find his daughter. Her little Been was still inside but the protective instinct was already there and in the back of her mind she was aware that she had to start getting things ready for the future. Her floating home would be hers no more and she wanted to set up a family home with Danny, somewhere for him to come back to between deployments. It was naïve to think life would just go back to how it had been but hopefully it wasn't all back to the stone age and there would be something of the life they knew before.

An awkward cough startled Kara out of her thoughts and she found Val resting on the guardrail next to her. Kara just stared at her, the look on her face asked Val what she was doing there without the need for words.

"Hi." Val said, almost agitatedly.

"Hi," Kara said, slowly.

Val took in a big breath and the words came tumbling out.

"So, anyway, are you Danny's girlfriend?"

Kara rasised her eyebrows, not what she was expecting.

"Erm, yes?" she confirmed thought the upper inflection at the end told Val that Kara didn't think it was anything to do with her.

"I wanted to apologise." Val started, Kara's face didn't change, it still told Val she had no idea what Val was talking about.

"Ok." Kara said, again slowly.

"I'm sorry about the stuff I said when I first met you. I didn't know." Val bit her lip and suddenly Kara laughed, her face relaxing, her eyes smiling, catching Val by surprise. Val wondered if she was laughing at her.

"Are you laughing at me?" Val asked, her turn to ask slowly and Kara instinctively touched Val's hand.

"No, I'm laughing because I really don't care. Please believe me when I say I've got ninety-nine problems and you are nowhere near painting on my radar as one of them." Kara said, still smiling and Val smiled back.

"I thought you were pissed off at me. I've smiled a couple of times at you and you just sort of ignored me."

"I've had a lot going on." Kara explained, "Not been the ideal time to get to know new people. Besides, who knew whether we wanted to get to know you."

Val held her hands up in acceptance, "This is true." She conceded, "But I'm one of the good guys now. I helped beat the sub, I'm breathing the cure, I'm going to stick around."

Kara smiled, "That's good to hear. We need more good women."

"Yeah but you're all going to disappear again once the ship is fixed but I can make a difference wherever we end up. I want to do that now, I still love my computers but I think being here has shown me that I can give back somehow. I do feel somewhat responsible for some of what has happened and I'd like to try make amends."

"Don't beat yourself up, we've all made mistakes that could've have disastrous consequences, you eventually forgive yourself. Besides, I won't be back on the Nathan James."

"I'd have thought they'd need everybody back." Val said.

"I can't come back. I'm pregnant," she said matter of factly. Val nodded, so what she had heard on the rig was true. She looked at Kara and thought about Danny, she could see them as a family. Funny because all those feelings of attraction she'd had towards Danny disappeared instantly.

"So you won't be alone in St. Louis." Kara said smiling, "I'll be there too." It was the invitation to friendship that Val hoped for. She knew she didn't have many friends, she never had even before the virus but the world was becoming a lonelier place.

"Thanks," she said, looking away, feeling almost a little embarrassed at wanting to be Kara's friend, she hoped she didn't look desperate.

"I want to know, I don't find Danny attractive anymore. I'm not interested in him."

Kara put her hand on her hip and stared at Val coolly, "Are you saying my boyfriend is unattractive?" with feigned offense and then she laughed.

"No, he's very nice but he's taken, I don't go for other women's men and a little too clean for my likely. Now, the rugged Australian, he's a different matter."

Kara laughed.

"Are you just driven by your hormonal urges? I'm the pregnant one, I'm the one that's meant to be horny."

Val raised an eyebrow.

"You're not?"

Well….. it doesn't matter because there's nothing I can do about it here."

"Clearly, though, you've managed before to satisfy the urge." Val said dryly, pointing at Kara's stomach.

Kara wasn't sure what was happening, she'd tried to be wary but the longer she chatted to Val the more she found herself warming to her.

"Good point, well made." Kara touched her tiny bump.

"But the Australian, "Val dragged the conversation back on track, " is he single and ready to mingle?"

"You're safe with him, as far as I'm aware, there's no pregnant girlfriend.

"Great." Came the enthusiastic reply. "I'm going to look into that."

"I don't doubt you will." Kara responded and both women laughed. It was good to have friends.


	38. Chapter 38

Hi Everyone, really sorry this is a short one, so short I'm not sure it can classed as chapter. Enjoy.

Kara was still out on the upper deck when Danny wandered over and in a moment reminiscent of a previous time, he placed his hand on top of hers on the guardrail. Neither of them of them acknowledged it, they just continued to look out over the banks of the river. Kara smiled a little smile to herself. They'd been through so much, the discovery of the extent of the virus, Gitmo, the Russians, Virus testing and the discovery of Been, the immunes, the sub, the rig, so much had happened, they were all older and wiser but despite all of that very little had changed. There was still uncertainty about what they were going into but his hand on top of hers meant they were going in it together. They just stood there for a while.

"Do you think this is it? This is where we get our break for a bit?" Kara asked him. Danny thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I have a good feeling about St Louis." and she felt his hand squeeze hers reassuringly.

"When this is over I want to go for lazy breakfasts at the local coffee shop, it'll sell fresh pastries and freshly squeezed orange juice. We'll take our baby and our friends will join us." she told him.

Kara had no idea if there were coffee shops still in existence, probably not and those friends she mentioned were dwindling in numbers. She knew as soon as she'd mentioned friends Danny would immediately think of Frankie and then Tex, both now absent.

"When this is over, we're going to go for trips away, pack up the car for a weekend and sleep under the stars." He told her.

Kara had never really been into camping. She'd loved horses and spent a lot of her time at the stables. With Debs as a mother there were a lot of things she'd never done. She thought she might have had one camping trip in her childhood years and that was with her friend's family. She knew Danny found peace out in nature.

"Have you been to St Louis before?"

Danny shook his head, "no but we'll soon know it. We're going to be here a while if it all works out."

Kara smiled, she didn't mind where they were so long as they were together, they done ok so far and they'd be ok in St. Louis.


	39. Chapter 39

Heading towards the end of season 2 now, hope you've all had a good weekend and enjoy. Thanks you for following, for the reviews and for reading.

The last 72 hours had been a whirlwind. The last stance against the immunes and the spreading of the cure, followed by the coming alongside to people who were glad to see them. Danny had been put onto Presidential Protection detail until a more permanent solution could be arranged and Kara was busy sorting out her files for handover. No one had said anything official about her replacement but they all knew she wouldn't be going back out with the Nathan James. She'd spent the normal working day following their arrival helping Lt Cdr Slattery and Lt Cdr Garrett draw up a watchbill, so that the crew could function and move the ship into drydock, whilst at the same time being afforded some freedom to go ashore. This is what they had been waiting for and a lot of people were itching for some dryland time. Captain Chandler had called a clear lower deck that morning, explaining to the crew that until some sort of order had been established and their presence within the city fully incorporated they would operate as if they were in a foreign port, leave would be granted once the ship was in dry dock and only a third of the crew would be granted leave at a time. However, he had stressed that there would be convoys going back to Norfolk and personnel wishing to go back their homes to recover processions or see family could request to be duty on these trips. Kara knew she'd never get permission now to go on one of those convoys, so it looked like Danny would be taking the trip back to her house to see Debbie and Pete. They had been told, the working day would be 0800-1600, with duty personnel rostered and a curfew of midnight and that's how Kara found herself in Lt Cdr Slattery's cabin working with them to put her division into watches. Things had moved quickly after the first few hours. They had established a hotel as an appropriate place for the President to move into, a judge had been found and a date set to officially swear him in as President, not only that but an Inaugural Ball was to be held a week later. The people of St Louis wanted this to work and the arrival of the Nathan James was the things that was needed to concentrate their effort and create the start of a recovery.

Kara hadn't really known what to expect. The last time she'd been ashore was Norfolk and it had been like a ghost town, the only thing that resembled normalcy was when O'Connor fixed the generator and they had a couple of games of bowling. Danny had said things had been eerie. The majority of the infrastructure was still intact but there was a distinct lack of people. Everyone here had welcomed them but many had travelled in, following the radio message and since many had departed to go back to their homes and spread the cure to their friends and loved ones.

"Don't forget, there's some personnel receiving commendations at the in Inaugural Ball, they need to offered leave the day after." Andrea reminded Mike.

"I know, I know, that's what I'm trying to figure out." Mike told her. Kara thought they behaved more like an old married couple than colleagues when behind closed doors. She figured that because she was leaving and because she was pregnant which made her seem more real, their real personalities came out more. In fact behind closed doors, Mike liked to ask a lot of questions, some that verged on inappropriate and this was always highlighted by a cough, sigh or eye roll from Andrea in his direction and her telling Kara she "didn't have to answer that, if she didn't want to."

"I suppose you and Green will want leave together, you know proper time…" again this comment was interrupted with a cough from Lt Cdr Garret and Mike's cheeky smile disappeared into a small pout like a child that had been chastised. "Alright." He told her, "I just wanted them to have some time together." He muttered under his breath.

"And that's fine but don't put Kara on the spot, what they do on their leave is up to them. So Millar….." Lt Cdr Garrett pulled the conversation back on track.

"Oh, Millar found me earlier and volunteered to be duty that night." Kara said. The XO had asked for volunteers to be duty that night, hoping some would come forward ait would make it easier to pick who should attend the ball. They wanted an even representation of the Nathan James' crew to attend. Both the CO and XO had been adamant that this was not just for officers.

"No, he has to go, he's getting promoted and an award." Mike said.

"Actually, he didn't just volunteer, he specifically requested not to go. He's worried he'll have to stand up in front of people." Kara had told him she'd do what she could to get him as duty but looks like he wasn't going to get his wish. Rumours had started that there would be some presentations, speculation on who would receive one had been circulating the ship and Millar's was one name that everyone had said would get a commendation.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant but he has to go." Andrea said but her face showed sympathy.

"As does O'Connor." Mike said, "I'll make it so they have to stand up together, that way he's not up there on his own. In fact, add Lt Cruz to that and we'll do the three together, make it about their actions in Baltimore. Millar's involvement with the trial will be read out at the same time."

At the mention of the trial, Kara swallowed hard. It hadn't occurred to her that it was these kind of actions that got special mentions. It left her with a bit of a dry mouth.

"Um, I don't wish to assume anything but am I also required to attend the event." She managed to get out.

Andrea looked at her in surprised.

"I thought you'd want to go."

"I was hoping to volunteer to be duty, I can't drink and there are others that do want to go." Kara mumbled.

Andrea narrowed her eyes.

"What's the real reason Kara?" she demanded. Kara looked away for a moment.

"My mess dress pants don't button anymore. I'm not sure if people have noticed but I'm slowly getting fat." She told them matter of factly.

"Then I suggest you borrow Bacon's pants or find a safety pin because you also need to be there."

Kara nodded, trying to work out how those pants would button, maybe she'd get lucky and her bump would be small that day.

"Is that the list? Do we now have a final list?" Mike asked Andrea. Andrea looked over the of crew to attend the event, it was evenly balanced and the duty watch.

"Evenly balance, there's enough people on duty, there's also enough hotel rooms for those attending the ball and after party to be able to stay there."

The after party was going to be held in the hotel bar

"Ok, hotel room allocation. Onto the next list." Mike pulled out another piece of paper. Andrea turned to Kara.

"We're almost done, why don't you go find Millar, explain to him what's going on and then chop for the day."

Kara felt surprised, she hadn't realised they were so close to finishing.

"Oh….Ok." she said as Andrea almost shooed her out of the room, she wondered if she'd done something wrong and they were trying to get rid of her. Andrea noticed her look and once again smiled.

"Don't worry, we are almost finished, go and enjoy the rest fo the day."

As the door shut behind Kara, Andrea turned to find Mike chewing on his pencil and puzzled look on his face,

"What was all that about?"

"You and I have some scheming to do and she doesn't need to be here for it."

Mike's face changed and he smiled around the pencil, as if he was enjoying a big fat cigar and he removed it in such a way.

"Oh, I do like to scheme." He said gleefully.

"I know…. and you'll like this one." She promised with a smile.


	40. Chapter 40

Hi everyone, thanks for reading and for the reviews. Hope you're all having a good week.

Danny patrolled down a street, they were doing street sweeps and searches, seeking out anyone who hadn't come across the cure yet, flushing out any rogue immunes that may still be hanging around. There was four of them out on patrol, Burke had begged Danny to take him as part of his team, said he needed a break from being on the ship, so Danny had his crew out with him, Burke, Tex and Wolfe. They weren't slacking but after the last few months Danny wasn't hammering the patrol, he wanted his guys to be alert but not under pressure. There was a little bit of hearts and minds going on with the public as well and their informal patrol style helped make them approachable. It wasn't the same patrol as Afghan, no IEDs or suicide bombers to spot but still you didn't know what would be round the next corner. They'd been told to start looking for possible empty houses that could be used for government employees that would come in when establishing this as the new Capital City. They had been briefed that these houses had to be positively identified as having no surviving owners. Captain Chandler had told the ship's company there would be serious consequences for looting from property and that if items of personal effect were required then they were to apply for them through their chain of command, they were not just to help themselves. Danny had overheard the President express concerns to Captain Chandler about them just taking over property, he feared people would return to find their houses occupied, whilst they need housing they were not thieves. The way in which it was similar to Afghanistan was he talking to locals to gain information, they'd spoken to quite a few people already and identified a number of houses where there were no surviving owners. As Danny patrolled he looked round, it was a nice looking street, the houses were family size but not mansions and the majority had been well cared for. Danny wondered where he would find a house. Things had changed, money was inaccessible, no one was selling houses and the banks had pretty much collapsed. How does one buy a house when the monetary system was shot to shit? A movement caught Danny's eye, up by one of the houses an older man was climbing up a step ladder, it wobbled slightly and Danny motioned to Wolfe that he was going up to speak to him.

"Sir," Danny called out, quickening his pace to move over the pathway to the man. The older man paused halfway up the ladder and turned in surprise, Danny ran when the ladder wobbled precariously. Danny steadied it, "Here, let me hold that for you."

Standing holding the base of the ladder, he could now see the man was trying to repair his guttering. It was bizarre what some people got up to, this man was carrying on as if the virus had never happened and repairing the guttering was just another task left on list by his wife.

"Meant to do this months ago," the man told him and Danny smiled and nodded. They both operated in silence for the next few minutes as the completed his job. Finally he stepped down the ladder, dropped his tools into a toolbox and wiped his hands on his trousers.

"Well, thank you Son," he said to Danny, smiling.

"You're welcome." Danny couldn't help but smile back. The man in front of him was quite short and balding, Danny guessed in his early seventies. The man leaned forward and stared at his uniform, looking for a regimental badge.

"Marine?" he asked and Danny shook his head.

"No, Sir."

"I was a marine, 1st recon division. Not that these things matter now." He mumbled.

"What has gone before still matters." Danny couldn't help but say, it had to matter or else he'd had friends die for no reason. The man looked him in the eye, Danny could see pride mixed with sadness.

"You're right, it does still matter." He held out his hand and Danny shook it. "I'm Jack."

"Danny."

"You're guys are looking over," Jack pointed out. Danny hadn't realised they'd stopped to wait for him and he waved them over. They came and he introduced them to Jack, they all shook hands. There was something about being in the military, past or present that bound people together, a common feeling of respect towards each other.

"Hey, you guys want some lemonade?"

Wolfe turned and stared, "You have lemonade?"

"It's packet but I can make a jug." And off Jack disappeared spritely into his house.

"You bring us to some tea party" Wolfe asked Danny bemused, "This guy is fixing guttering and making lemonade, he does know the virus happened, right?"

Danny shrugged bemused and looked at his watch.

"We might as well break for lunch, we can chat to Jack, find out what we can about this street whilst we're here."

"I can live with that," Tex said laying down in the sunshine on Jack's lawn and digging his sandwiches out of his daysack.

Jack reappeared at the door and Danny went to help him carry over a tray, a stack of glasses teetering as he ambled over.

"Knew I had some," Jack said, starting to pour the lemonade into the glasses and passing it round. Danny gulped his down gratefully, it was warm out today and he realised he hadn't had a drink for a while. It tasted good, nice and cool.

Burke followed Tex and started on his lunch, making himself comfortable in the sunshine. Danny was surprised when Jack sat down easily next to them, he clearly was a man that still kept active. Danny noticed the bemused look on Wolfe's face, he knew he'd get some stick for this tea party later and Wolfe shook his head as if he couldn't believe he was going to do, then sat with the other. Danny smiled, it was one of those bizarre things that happened on patrol. In Afghan you were invited in for tea and chat with the elders, in St Louis it was lemonade on the grass in the sunshine.

"You know, it's good to see you boys, I haven't seen folk in days."

Danny unwrapped his sandwich and he caught Jack looking at it, just staring. Danny offered out his sandwich to him.

"Do you want my sandwich?" he wondered what Jack had been living on.

"Is that fresh bread?" Jack asked as if it could't possibly be real.

"Our chef made it last night, so fairly fresh."

"I haven't seen bread in months." He whispered and Danny pushed the sandwich into his hands.

"Enjoy it," he said. Jack bit into the sandwich as if he Danny was going to take it away from him and then slowed, with the realisation was that once this sandwich had gone it might be months before he had bread again.

"So what happened down this street, Jack?" Burke asked.

"I knew almost every family down this street," Jack told him proudly. "Rose, my wife and I, we've lived here ever since I came out the Marines, raised our kids here. Kids are grown up now. One's on a farm, 50 miles upstate. One of my boys died, Rose too but I never got sick." He said forlornly. "Don't know if my boy on the farm is still alive, just hope he is."

There was silence. Dany wondered if the others were thinking of their family. Tex knew he'd been lucky to find his daughter, there were so many who had lost so much. Danny hadn't really thought much about finding his folks, it's not that he'd forgotten or replace them but he hadn't given much thought about getting home to find them, Originally when it had all happened the gut instinct was to go back and he knew he should – he just wasn't sure he wanted to know if it was bad.

"Thems over there," Jack pointed to a large house over the road, "they all died early on, the first on the street. Their kids used to play with kids four doors down, so guess who went next. Everyone just thought it was bad flu, then people started dying and that's when people started to panic, then one by one families died or left."

"We're out here trying to identify the homes that still have living owners. The President wants to establish the government here and they're looking for places for people to move into, they just don't want people to move into property that still has living owners." Burke explained to Jack and Jack whistled.

"I live in the Capital city now, well I never. Huh. Rose would've hated that, she'd have worried about tourists." Jack mused out loud.

"The last thing the President wants is to piss anyone off or look like we're taking advantage and just talking what we want because we can. Any property occupation needs to be legal." Burke continued.

Jack scanned the street, then with a definite fingers he started pointing.

"Dead, dead, dead, left town, dead, don't know about them, dead, dead. Yeah, he's got plenty to choose from here."

"Are you the only one left on the street?" Danny asked and suddenly Jack looked sad.

"Yeah I'm the only one left. Should've got me and good lady up to the farm when I had the chance."

Danny felt for him, he suddenly looked quite old.

"We can take you to the farm." He offered. He had no idea if they could and the look on the three faces of his colleagues also said they had no idea if they could either but Danny knew he'd be able to swing it and call it "wider patrolling".

Jack smiled kindly at him, "It's ok son, very kind of you to offer but I don't know if I could survive if I got there and found out he didn't make it."

Again there was silence. The ship had been a bubble, it had protected them from what the civilian survivors had gone through. They'd had their fair share of problems but they'd gone through as a team, this man had ended up alone, started with a family and friends and ended up by himself.

"Ah, listen to me, babbling on. You boys need to get on." Jack bounced back up and started to put the empty glasses back on the tray. The team stood up and Danny thanked Jack for the information and lemonade and Burke double checked which houses Jack knew for definite were empty. They watched Jack go inside as they walked down the driveway back to the road.

"That made things a bit easier than working out what is abandoned and what is available." Danny said as they made their way down the street. Sometimes they had no idea whether houses were just waiting for their owners to come back. Death records became sketchy at the height of the virus with many deaths going unrecorded.

"Yeah but if you told me I'd be attending a tea party with a veteran today, I'd have thought you were coming down with dengue fever again." Tex told him.

"Yep, hardened warriors sit down for garden party with local survivor, definitely fulfilling hearts and minds part of the mission….." Wolfe tried to play his part of the tough guy, "but got to admit, it was good lemonade."


	41. Chapter 41

Hi everyone. Thanks for reading and the reviews. Next chapter, which I hope you'll enjoy. When I watch the Last Ship (which I love) I find myself wondering about some of the everyday practicalities and so what I write is often the what I tell myself probably happened which is why you end up with chapters like this. Enjoy your day. XXX

Kara scanned the list of hotel room allocations and she couldn't see her name anywhere. She'd put in for leave and she had been told she had to attend the Inaugural Ball but her name wasn't on the list for a hotel room. The Inaugural Ball had was still a couple of days away, maybe there was time to sort it. After the ship moved into dry dock, the half of the ship that hadn't been invited to the Inaugural Ball had been offered leave the week prior and use of the hotel if they wished. Most of the crew had taken them up on the offer and used the time to relax and get used to being back on dryland for a bit. There was no maid service anymore at the hotel but the sailors were a good bunch, they were all to leave their rooms tidy with clean linen for the oncoming group. Even though they were off the ship they were still looking after each other.

Kara checked the list again. Her name definitely wasn't on there, she really hoped this didn't mean her leave had been cancelled. The last two weeks had been so busy she'd barely seen Danny since the ship moved into dry dock. He'd been out on scouting missions, spreading the cure, presidential detail and they had just kept missing each other. Still she saw him most days, either in passing or at scran but she was starting to miss him, just a little bit. He was so close and yet there was no time to actually spend time together. He'd also booked leave and she was looking forward to spending some time off the ship with him. She wandered the ship looking for Lt Cdr Garnett and found her in her office with the XO, they were laughing about something. The atmosphere on the ship had noticeably relaxed since moving into drydock, it was like people could finally let go of a breath they'd been holding in for a long time. Andrea noticed Kara approach the door and smiled kindly.

"Lieutenant, are you ok?"

Kara paused in the doorway to the office, she felt a little self-conscious asking and she wasn't sure why, maybe it was because the drive to stay at the hotel wasn't work related and it was blatantly obvious.

"Er, I was, er, just wondering if my name had been missed off the list for some reason." She held up the hotel room list.

Andrea looked surprised.

"Your name isn't on?"

Kara shook her head and held the list out to Andrea.

"Oh, so it's not." Andrea scanned the list. "XO, do you have different list, is Lieutenant Foster's name on your list?" Andrea stared at Mike and he just looked at them a bemused expression on his face.

"No," he said without even looking at a list and Kara caught Lt Cdr Garnett kick him under the desk and make _that_ face at him The XO rolled his eyes.

"OK, let me check" he said, playing along and dug a piece of paper out of his pocket. Kara's brow creased, puzzled by their behaviour. "Your name isn't on this list either." He said as if reading from a script and threw _that_ look back at Lt Cdr Garrett, emphasised by him dropping the piece of paper on the desk.

Kara had no idea what was going on right now. They were behaving weirdly and she didn't know what it meant.

"I can stay on the ship." She offered.

"No, we'll find a room for you," Andrea assured her, going back to scanning the list, "hmmmm, well Granderson is in with Baker, hmmmm, I'm in a double not a twin, Jones is in with Trott, it's not suitable for me to put you in with any of the enlisted personnel. Hmmmm. Can you see a solution XO?" Andrea passed over the piece of paper. He played along this time and scanned the list. He sucked air n through his teeth as if thinking hard.

"Looks like there's no spare room. See, the CO has a double, I'm in a double, Garrett double, Burke in Cruz in a twin, Green in a double." He then did a double take. "How did Lt Green end up being the only Lieutenant with a double room when everyone else is a sharing a twin? Curious."

"Aren't you on leave Foster from tomorrow?" Andrea asked her.

"Yes ma'am." She confirmed.

"Well, I know it's short notice but I think you're going to have to sort your room out. You might have to see if you can share with someone, maybe someone that has a double who you don't mind sharing a bed with." Lt Cdr Garrett told her with a shrug.

"Clearly we are not encouraging fraternisation." Mike told her, "but where you spend your leave is up to you." He said with a wink.

"Unfortunately, you're just a victim of a clerical error. These things happen." Andrea said with a smile.

"Mmmm, clerical error, shit happens." Mike repeated with a nod.

The tannoy crackled to life. Do you hear there. XO to requested to report to the gangway."

The XO rolled his eyes and took in a deep breath, he was having to deal with some incompetent people these days. He stood up.

"Best go see what these fools want today, swear I'm close to losing my shit with these people." He muttered. He half patted Kara on the shoulder as he moved past her and then stalked down the p-way. Kara just stood there, thinking through the conversation they'd just had. Danny and her in a room together, without sneaking around.

"Are you ok with that, Lieutenant Foster?" Lt Cdr Garrett asked her bringing her back to the moment.

"Oh yes," she eventually replied. It was dawning on Kara what this meant. She and Danny would effectively be living together. The'yd always talked about the future, their house, their baby, their life together but the actual practicalities of it were always just out of touch but the time was here, the time was fast approaching.

Kara could hear Andrea start talking again, "Clearly, we can't be seen to be facilitating your relationship, which is why we can't put your names in the same room….." Kara was aware that her heart had started beating very fast and she felt a little bit light headed, she reach to the door frame to steady herself.

"Kara, what's wrong, do you want to sit down?" Andrea had noticed Kara go pale. She pulled Kara into her office and into a chair.

"We thought you'd be happy about this." Andrea crouched in front of her, her concerned face looking up at Kara.

Kara nodded weakly, she was happy and excited, she was also very scared. "I am happy but at the same time… I'm probably just overthinking it. Danny will be ecstatic."

"What's wrong, Kara?" Andrea asked gently.

"It's stupid and I know I'm being silly but Danny and I haven't really ever….." how could she describe it. She tried again, "I didn't think we would be sharing a room. I want to spend time with him and I thought there were be occasions for us to be alone together but this seems very fast."

Andrea laughed at the irony of it all, Foster pregnant with Green's baby and she wasn't sure if sharing a room with him whilst on leave was moving too fast.

"You are planning on living together, at some point, right?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited but I'm also very scared. It's a big step and it's always been just out of reach, so we talk about it but we don't actually have to do it."

"It's ok to be scared, it isa big step." Andreas reassured her.

"Like Danny will be so happy about this, he won't have any concerns, at all, he'll embrace it but I'm not that confident."

"Would it be different if you weren't pregnant?"

"Yeah, it would. I'm changing, I don't really even know what my body is doing at the moment, some days I don't look pregnant, other days there's a bump, I have emotions that just appear. I feel like I almost don't know myself anymore. What if we get into that hotel room and he suddenly realises that we are not good together, that it's all been an illusion?"

"He's not going to think that."

"The other thing is and I'm really embarassed by this because I'm not one those fashion type of people but my bras don't fit anymore." Kara flushed, she couldn't believe she was having this conversation. "My normal bras, just don't sit right, I'm wearing a sports bra all the time and even then it's not the most comfortable. I don't have clothes other than sweat pants now that fit and I know in the grand scheme of things it's not important, considering all we've been through." Kara felt she was starting to ramble.

Andrea remembered back to when her body changed, it started with the underwire sticking in uncomfortably but then going to get new underwear was exciting. She'd always been a little bit flat chested so when she'd gotten pregnant and when her breasts suddenly appeared she'd been quite pleased but she'd also had the luxury of a department store to visit for new clothes.

"I know Danny would understand but I just feel…. I'm not vain but I just want to….." Kara struggled with how she felt on this.

"I know Kara, you just want to still look good and that's ok. What you need is a maternity wardrobe. How do you fancy a shopping trip?" she suddenly asked.

"Where?" Kara asked, they were post virus, most people were not interested in selling clothes right now.

"I'll have a chat with the Captain…"

Kara looked mortified.

"Oh no, please don't tell him we had this conversation…" she interrupted.

"No, no, no, no," Andrea reassured quickly, "This stays between us, no one else needs to know we've had it but I'll just say that we need some things."

"Isn't it classed as looting?" Kara thought back to the brief where Captain Chandler had said looters would deal with serious consequences.

"I think that's more to do with stealing other people's personal property. Right now I don't imagine there is a high demand for maternity wear and I'm sure we can find a local department store which will have exactly what you want. We're not stealing food or taking things necessary to survival but there are things that are necessary to you."

"You don't think I'm being silly? It seems so trivial, I don't want to look like I'm asking for special treatment."

"It's not silly, not at all and I think once we've got this sorted, you'll feel much more excited about you week of leave with Danny. You're talking to someone that has been there and done it. I understand."

Kara hadn't realised how much she'd need this conversation but she felt better for it.

"I'll meet you at the gangway, 1400. I'll have it sorted by then." Andrea promised.


	42. Chapter 42

HI everyone, just a little bit of Danny and Kara for you all. Thanks for reading. Enjoy.

Kara was hoping to bump into Danny before she went ashore with Andrea. She hadn't seen him last night and so hadn't been able to ask about the room. She wasn't sure how to ask or what to say. She figured she'd end up rolling her eyes and telling him about the XO's and Lt Cdr Garnett's mischievousness but she still felt a bit nervous because what if he actually didn't want to spend all that time with her. What if he thought they were just going to spend a couple of nights together rather than the whole week.

She jumped when someone saying her name broke into her thoughts, it was Danny. He smiled at her, in that way only he could, a little bit of tooth showing and his eyes crinkling, it showed genuine happiness at seeing her.

"Hey," he said softly,"

She smiled back.

"Hi."

He looked round, the p-way deserted.

"I'm really looking forward to having leave together." He said softly, "Did you get your room? It's really weird, I got a double to myself." he asked, his eyes gazing into hers.

"Er….. well, there's been a bit of a clerical error." She said.

His brow furrowed.

"Clerical error? What does that mean?"

"I didn't get a room." She said and Danny's mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Welll…" he looked confused, " So what does that mean? Are you having to stay back on the ship?" he tried not to look too upset, this was not what he had in mind, he'd had lots of plans to sneak Kara into his room and spending lazy mornings in bed with her.

"Well…" Kara started and then it hit him and he grabbed her arm excitedly.

"Hey, come stay in my room."

Kara looked at him, it was what she'd been hoping to hear.

"Really."

"Yeah," his eyes once again crinkled, "We'll sleep in, it'll be fun, we can stay up all night talking and doing other things." He said suggestively.

"For a couple of nights?" she asked. He looked at her like she was mad.

"No, for the whole week."

"You don't think that's moving too fast or too much? I don't want you to think…."

"Kara," he interrupted her again, "We're going to get a house together, we're going to live together. I know it'll be strange but this will be amazing. It'll be the best week ever."

"I'd really like that" she told him, "though we probably shouldn't make it too public." She added.

"No but I'm am excited about us having a room together." She smiled, this time all his teeth showing, it's the kind of smile he had when he touched her tummy. The one where he looked like he won the lottery and felt blown away by it all. Suddenly Danny lost that look and gleeful suspicion could be seen. He looked up at her, his eyes narrowed but still smiling.

"Who did the rooms?" he asked, knowing full well that Mike had been involved.

"Um, the XO and Lt Cdr Garnett." Kara said, catching on to his thinking.

"Isn't that weird? I have a double, you have no room and two of the most capable people did the room allocations."

"Isn't that odd," Kara confirmed, with a laugh.

"Remind me to get them a drink." He told her, "This is going to be a great week. I'll see you tonight then... at our room."

He quickly kissed her before disappearing off down the p-way with the biggest grin on his face.


	43. Chapter 43

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay, been having fun and games at work, nice to get back and finish the chapter I'd started. I'll get another chapter up this week. Enjoy and thank you for reading.

"Hey," Val called over to Kara, she made her way over to her. Kara was stood by the bottom of the gangway.

"Hey Val, how's it going?"

"Good. What ya up to?" Val asked.

"I'm just waiting for Andrea. What are you doing here?"

Val shrugged, "Ah, I've been tasked to set up a communication network, thought I'd come down, check out what the ship has going on with their comms system. Get it all linked in together."

"Did you just come down here to hang out?" Kara asked with a smirk.

"Hmmmmm, maybe." Val looked away nonchalantly. "I didn't see anyone yesterday." She admitted.

"How come?"

"I have an office now and I just lost track of time, it got to midnight and I realised I'd been there since eight that morning, Chandler came in at one point, brought me a sandwich." She laughed.

"You didn't eat anything but a sandwich?"

"I have a coffee machine so I don't need to leave for anything, just keep working. I'm in the middle of coding, lost track of time."

"You're not the only one, no one has seen much of Dr Scott in the last few days. She's got herself a lab and apparently, like you, no one saw her for a few days. Tex started taking her food parcels." She laughed.

"I guess we'll all see each other tomorrow night." Val said.

Andrea appeared at the top of the gangway, Val looked surprised to see her in civvies, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen her out of uniform. She then noticed that Kara was also in civvies, though she'd often seen Kara in sweatpants and she'd just assumed that was due to them being elasticated.

"Ready?" Andrea asked Kara.

"Where are you guys going?" Val asked curious as to what they were up to.

Kara looked uncomfortable, she hadn't really wanted to tell that many people what they were doing because she didn't want to look like she was getting special treatment or put Andrea into a difficult position. Andrea didn't look phased at all ad smiled.

"We're going shopping, are you coming?" she smiled, her eyes wrinkling up at the corners. Both Val and Kara looked surprised at the invitation. Val had never imagined she'd reached the point where she was included in non-work related activities.

"I used to love shopping… online….in my bra and pants….. you never had to put up with the other people also shopping." She said wistfully.

"Well that's an image." Kara said dryly. "I kinda think we might be the only people shopping."

"You've sold me, I'm in." Val smiled, it had been worth leaving the office today. "I need to look for some cables too. What are you guys going for?" They started to walk away from the ship, the nearest set of shops about a mile away and it was nice day for a walk.

"Maternity clothes." Kara told her and Val raised her eyebrows.

"Fair one, got to be honest though, have you even got a baby in there? You've hardly any bump."

"He's in there," Kara told her "But I'm hoping he's going to just stay small for a few more days until I don't have to wear uniform anymore. I think my waistband is squishing him in."

"You're having a boy?" Val said with a smile and Andre laughed.

"Kara alternates between describing the baby as a boy and girl."

"I don't like using "it"" Kara shrugged. They walked in silence down the waterfront, a gentle breeze blowing and the Nathan James slowly disappearing into the background. It was a nice feeling to have a little bit of freedom. The Nathan James was home but this was solid ground beneath their feet, with wide open spaces, areas of green and nature. If you didn't stop and think too long then it really could've been like old time, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and it felt like a normal day. Kara remembered going shopping with Alesha when they'd come alongside just before deploying to the Arctic. It had been similar to this, they'd done all the things you did when shopping out with friends, stopped for coffee, later had lunch, ambled between shops. Kara wasn't big into shopping but when out with the right people it could be a pleasant day. The trip had been made better by the fact that as they came back up the gangway they'd bumped into a couple of the attached guys who were on-board for the deployment. One of them was particularly attractive, he had blonde hair and a great smile and Kara found herself captivated by him, she'd secretly thought about him as she'd bought a few items of extra clothing, not that she had thought anything would happen with him but still, she had found herself wondering if he'd like them as she'd looked at herself in the mirror of th changing room.

They chit chatted for a little while, Kara suspected the conversation would've been different if it had just been herself and Andrea but she didn't mind. They came across a rw of stores. They'd definitely hit the town centre. It looked so different from the waterfront they'd recently strolled down, without people it looked a real ghost town, some of the shops had survived but others had clearly been looted, their windows smashed and display empty. At the start of the troubles people had turned to looting big items, like televisions but as it became clear that the virus was here to stay and world changed items such as televisions became useless and there was more favourable items to loot. Kara hoped that maternity clothes had not become one of those favourable items.

Since the Nathan James had come alongside, the people of St Louis has started to resurrect their old life but this town centre was still quiet.

"Wow, I kind feel like there should be a tumble weed blowing down the street right now." Val said. She looked around at the buildings and pointed out a department store, a couple of windows smashed but looked fairly intact. "How about that place?"

Andrea crossed the road and tried one of the double doors, they rattled loudly but were firmly locked. "We'll have to find another way in." she told the others, stepping back out into the street, looking for another door. Seeing a side door, she tried that too and it was locked. She went back to Kara, Val had wandered away, looking for another door.

"I don't think we have a choice, we're going to have to break in." Andrea told Kara and Kara immediately looked uncomfortable.

"Really?" she let out a sigh, "I really hoped we'd find an open door. I don't know if I feel happy breaking in somewhere, it's too much like stealing. I don't want people thinking the Navy are just taking things." Kara was starting to feel quite reluctant.

"I know," Andrea agreed, "But we're not the first to break in and I'm pretty certain all previous break ins have been about tvs and jewellery, not maternity bras." Andrea said, trying to convince the younger woman. "I feel uncomfortable with it too but we all need things from inside, especially you. Try not to see it as breaking in, it's more like…."

They were interrupted by the sound of smashing glass and both woman, instinctively cowered away from the sound, startled and then turned to where the sound comes from.

"I, for one, have no problem with breaking in." Val told them, dropping the metal pipe she'd found to smash the glass with, to the ground and clearing the jagged remains with her booted foot.

"Well, that solves that problem," Andrea said with a wry smile and Kara laughed.

"Let's go shop." Kara said as Val crawled into building and excitedly waved them in.


	44. Chapter 44

Hi Everyone, thank you for continuing to read. I figured it was time for Danny and Kara to actually feature together as it's been a while. So enjoy.

Kara stood outside the hotel room, she smoothed the skirt of her dress with her hand and swallowed, nervously. So this was it, the first real date. Everything was out of order, most people didn't get pregnant before they went on their first date. She pulled at the dress again. It was soft cotton that fell beautifully over her small bump, flattering her figure. She didn't think that Danny had seen her in a dress before, she'd found a pair of small heels in the back of her locker. They were that perfect shoe that went with everything. She held her overnight bag by her side, this had to go well, otherwise she'd be crashing on the couch that was in Alisha's room. Alisha had already told her not to be so daft and that it would be fine with Danny but Kara still felt nervous, things were changing, the world was becoming more than just being onboard the Nathan James. What if they didn't actually like each other once normal life resumed, what if the only thing that held them together as a couple of was the adventure of living day to day on the Nathan James. Finally, she took in a calming breath and once she'd let it out she knocked, a resonating knock that sounded much more confident than Kara felt.

Danny looked up at the sound of a hand striking the door. In fact his head snapped up, as if the knock was a pistol shot. He'd been nervously pacing, Kara was late, she said she'd be here around 1800, it was now 1815. OK so the time hadn't been set, he knew she'd been working today and that she would probably be late but he'd spent the last fifteen minutes imaging every possible scenario for why she might be late. He'd been ready for a while, in fact he'd really made the effort. Somewhere at the back of his locker was a smart shirt, smart trousers and even a jacket. He'd already been down to the bar for a quick, nerve settling drink with Wolfe and Burke, he figured if he struck out with Kara then he had a shot with Wolfe judging by the wolf whistle he'd omitted when he'd entered the bar. Though by the time he'd left Wolfe was deep in conversation with Val and Burke was chatting to a local woman. He'd had a beer and the boys had sent him off back to his room with a shot of bourbon and there he found himself, waiting, just waiting. He unpacked his bags for the week, he laid out the picnic that Bacon had made for him. He'd arranged it all, a nice candle light meal, though the lack of hotel room service had meant it was more a picnic than hot dinner. He'd set up his ipod, it played softy in the background and that's when he found himself sat, looking at his watch every 2 minutes. Then came the knock and he breathed out a sigh of relief, she had actually come but that disappeared quickly as he suddenly realised, this was their proper first date.

Kara couldn't work out why she was so nervous, it was just Danny, Danny who had seen her looking like absolute crap, who had seen her when there was no water to have a shower, when she was dying. Danny, the father of her baby, it would be ok. The door swung open and there stood Danny, he smiled at her and she smiled awkwardly back. They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Kara wasn't sure if she should go in, so she just waited and it was like eventually Danny came back to life.

"Wow, you look….. beautiful." He said, giving her a little smile that made her feel better.

"You look very smart yourself," she said. Again there was silence and Kara continued to stand at the door.

"Here, let me take you bag. I'm sorry, come on in, I've left you standing in the doorway." He took the bag off her shoulder and held the door open, ushering her in.

In truth, the doorway exchange had lasted no more than thirty seconds but to Kara it had seemed much longer. Kara stepped in, it was meant to be a great night but was getting off to luke-warm start.

"Wow, the room's lovely." She looked round, taking it in, it was a big room, more like a suite and she wondered if this had been intentional on Andrea's part. A small living area and an en-suite bathroom, as well as a giant double bed. There was music playing softy and candles lit on a table, where there was an amazing looking spread of food waiting. Danny wandered across to the bed and dropped her bag down at the side closest to the window.

"Oh," Kara felt awkward asking but found herself continuing, "Can I sleep on the other side?"

Dann bit his lip, "Um, I normally sleep on this side." He said, "is there a reason you want this side?" he asked her.

Kara chewed the inside of her cheek, "It's just closer to the bathroom…." She looked at him and he just stared at her, "I usually have to get up in the night to use the bathroom." She fully explained.

Danny nodded, "OK, I get that." He made no move to pick up her bag. "But I would prefer to sleep on this side." He offered no explanation.

His is what Kara had dreaded, what if this was what living with Danny was going to be like? She knew he was stubborn but what if the rest of their life came down to impasse moments about which side of the bed they slept on. Kara couldn't have this, she didn't think she could live like this. Her imagination was going into overdrive right now, picturing them in five years time with differing views on how to raise their child, where they lived, how they did their life.

Danny knew she thought he was being a dick but he couldn't give up that side of the bed, he saw her face trying to control her emotions. He wasn't sure how they had ended up like this. It was meant to be their first date, it should be fun, they should be like teenagers but instead they were stood looking at each other in silence. He saw Kara breathe out deeply and then she sank down onto the edge of the bed, he saw one tear slide down her face. He'd made her cry and he felt mortified. He rushed over and sank down next to her on the bed, he pulled her into his arms. He felt her sob.

"What if we're just forcing something that isn't meant to be?" she managed to say.

"Shhhhhh," he comforted her, "It is mean to be. We are meant to be together."

"You won't even change the side of the bed you sleep on." She said in a tiny voice, it sounded hopeless and Danny shut his eyes, berating himself for being such a fool.

"I want to sleep on that side because it's closest to the door." He said gently. He felt her stiffen and her eyes flashed.

"What, so you can get out first in a fire?" she bit at him.

He firmly grabbed her shoulders and turned her to look at him.

"I want to sleep nearest the door so that there something between you and my baby and anyone that might coming through it. This isn't a safe world and I'm going to be damned if I don't put myself between you and every weirdo out there. That's why I want to sleep on that side." He told her earnestly, his eyes flashing back at her.

Kara let out a silent "oh" of realisation and then at in silence. Why had she jumped to conclusions? It was Danny, of course he would have a good reason for needing to be on that side of the bed.

Danny feel annoyed at himself for not being more forthcoming but no one wants to discuss oddballs and psychopaths on their first date, he thought he could get away with not having to explain why.

"Kara, there have been so many time, so many things beyond my control, where UI've almost lost you. How about Baltimore, or the times the ship has been attacked, even the virus. I like control and you push my buttons sometimes because you insist on being you and I have to let you be you and it's not always easy."

They both sat in silence for a bit and the moments ticked by. Danny was aware of the music that was playing, he'd made a playlist especially for tonight, he'd put on songs he thought Kara would like. His ears pricked up at the sound of a song he knew she loved and he couldn't sit there anymore, he did like control and this was not going the way he wanted it to. It was time for a do over, he stood up abruptly and held out his hand.

"Dance with me," he told her and Kara looked up startled.

"What?" she asked.

"For the longest time now, I have wanted to dance with you, in candle light, under the stars, in the rain. I'm having a do over on this 'date' and I'm crossing one of those off my list, so dance with me."

Kara listened to the song playing, it was Lady Antebellum's "I'll Run to You."

"I love this song," she told him.

"I know you do, so dance with me."

She took his hand and he pulled her into a position to dance with her. He surprised her when he sang along to the chorus ad spun her round. As the song ended he pulled her close,

"You can have the side of the bed you want, I'll protect you wherever I am." He whispered softly in her ear and she rested her head against his chest as they started to slow dance to the next song.


	45. Chapter 45

Hi Everyone. I'm so sorry for the long absence. Been away with work and not had much chance to write. Got leave coming up so will hopefully get some more chapters out in the next month. PLease keep reading and enjoy.

Kara squeezed into her trousers, she sucked in her stomach as she pulled the waistband close. She wasn't fat but they definitely were not going to fit for much longer. She managed to get the button through the hole and then breathed out, trying to relax, the waistband dug in. She looked in the bathroom mirror, it didn't look as bad as it felt.

"Sorry, baby, sorry," she mutter, rubbing her lower abdomen. This was probably going to be the last time she had to wear these trousers. She was getting ready for the Inaugural Ball. It had been an odd but mostly great 24 hours.

After they'd danced and finally relaxed around each other, they'd made out, like teenagers. There was no rush, not like onboard where the threat of being discovered was real. Danny had made a huge effort and spoilt her. The picnic had been amazing and they'd chatted about trivial stuff, Kara had laughed so much. It was like every meeting they'd had onboard but better. There was no one around to listen in or watch them. Danny had done a jokey strip tease for her, she'd sat on the bed and laughed as he'd shimmied his shirt off. She could really take the time to appreciate how attractive she found him, look at him without wondering if she'd held her gaze on him too long or if anyone else had seen her. She'd encouraged him to have a drink, it had taken a while because felt it was unfair on her considering she couldn't but she'd told him that nine months was a long time to wait for his next drink. It was little things like this that she still had to discover, she had no idea what he drank. Was it beer? Did he like wine or spirits? In the end he sank a bottle of red wine, relaxing him further and his tipsy demeanour just made Kara laugh even more.

Kara had no complaints about the sex either, Kara blamed the hormones for her craving for sex and Danny had obliged – several times and orgasmically delivered everytime. She'd drifted off into a very restful slumber. She'd woken disorientated as Danny sat bolt upright in bed, shouting, he was covered in sweat and not really awake. She'd reached out to wake him but his eyes snapped open and the shouting stopped. There was just silence as he stared into the darkness and his breathing started to slow, back to normal. Eventually Kara reached out and place her hand on his back and he startled just slightly and looked at her, his eyes suddenly becoming "Danny" again as if he'd forgotten she was there.

"Are you ok?" Kara asked concerned. He smiled at her, his eyes crinkled and Kara knew what he was doing, he was using that smile she couldn't resist.

"It's nothing. I'm better now that you're here." He murmured as he leaed across and stated to nuzzle into her neck. She pulled her head away and he just looked up at her, his eyes playful. He reached up and played with her hair.

"Danny," she said seriously.

"It's ok," he reassured her, "It just happens sometimes but it's ok. I don't usually have this to help get me back to sleep." He leaned back into her and pulled her back down into the bed, she laughed at how ticklish his kisses felt on her neck and she felt herself being pulled back the romantic night.

Kara had slipped out that morning to get some fresh coffee for Danny, something she knew he would enjoy. As she crept out of the room she'd looked back over at him, he lay in the bed on his front, his arms out stretched across the bed, the definition of his back and shoulder muscles clear. She'd never thought of herself as a lusty kind of person before but seeing that gave her a little thrill. As she made her way down to the dining room she hoped that people wouldn't stare too much. It had been their first proper night together and she thought she might get some teasing comments or smirks from the other crew members. She didn't think too many people knew about the current room allocation but still she expected something from either Tex or the XO. She walked into the dining hall and hardly anyone looked up at her, it was very quiet, she suspected that most people were taking advantage of being on leave and enjoying a lazy morning in bed.

She was just pouring coffee into a cup when Tex appeared by her side, he held out a mug for refill and she obliged. He smiled at her,

"Hey Kara," Kara detected nothing but softness in his voice, no knowing smile or wink.

"Hi." She responded.

"Did you sleep ok?" he asked and she nodded.

"You?" she asked,

"Oh yeah, it's great to have a double bed to stretch out in, even if it is the pull out sofa bed."

"I thought you had a room to yourself." Kara said, confused.

"Yeah but Kathleen is sharing with me. She's a bit clingy. I let her have the proper bed. Might seem weird to people that we're sharing."

"She's been through a lot." Kara acknowledge

"Yeah but there's still a part of her that's young still." He smiled sadly. "How did Danny sleep?" he asked, almost too innocently and Kara as searched his face, Tex suddenly started to search for something on the table so Kara couldn't see his eyes.

"He slept…." She confirmed, then she took a deep breath, "Are the dreams normal?" she asked levelly, finally Tex looked at her, his gaze locked with hers. He did a slow nod with his head, chewing his lip.

"Normal for Danny." He eventually said and Kara felt her heart sink just a little bit. It hadn't been a one off.

"They're not every night," he told her, "it depend what else is going on. If he's got things on his mind it can be worse, when life is settled he doesn't do it as much."

Kara wondered when the last time life had been settled, for her things hadn't felt settled since the Russians open fire on them in the Arctic and it had all kicked off. She knew though that Danny had a wider field of experience of combat though so maybe he had a higher stress threshold. However, yesterday there hadn't been any combat type stress, so what had made Danny dream….. Kara thought, it dawned on her, maybe it was her. Maybe she'd caused Danny to have his dreams, after all they'd had that disagreement about which side of the bed they slept on. She knew he had still felt uncomfortable with the decision when they'd gone to bed.

"Do I…." she started and Tex looked at her, an eyebrow raised and she stopped, "Doesn't matter." She trailed off.

"Talk to him," he advised her softly before taking a sip of his coffee. "I'd best go, got to get Kathleen a Danish." He tapped her on the shoulder and walked off to the food table.

Talk to him, she could do that. She chewed the inside of her cheek, when does one bring up that sort of thing? How does one even start, with "Hey Danny, what was so horrific that you now dream about it?" or "Hey Danny, do I stress you out so much that you have nightmares?" Kara rolled her eyes at her internal dialogue, maybe she'd just park the subject until Danny brought it up.

She mulled it over as she wandered back to the room. She opened the door as quietly as she could, but she needn't have worried about waking Danny, there he was sat at the table, wearing only a towel around his waist, his Heckler and Koch hand gun in pieces, laid out for cleaning. He whistled along to the Aerosmith playing in the background, as he oiled the working parts. He looked at her when she walked in, his smile lighting up his face and Kara couldn't help but smile back. It made her feel tingly inside that she could make him smile like that.

"I'm almost done," he said motioning to the dismantled weapon on the table. "Wasn't sure how long you were going to be gone."

Kara ran her fingers lightly through his hair and put his coffee down.

"Ooh, thanks." He said, stopping long enough to take a sip. She sat down in the chair next to Danny. As Danny started to snap the parts back together, Kara took a deep breath."

"Danny?" she hesitantly asked and Danny didn't look up from his pistol.

"Yep," he acknowledged, distractedly.

Kara swallowed hard, "About last night, do you need to talk to someone?"

Danny dragged his attention away from his weapon and looked at her, his face genuinely inquisitive as if he had no idea to what she was referring to.

"About?" he enquired.

Kara felt this had become awkward and cringed at how she'd created this situation.

"The dreams?" she ventured slowly.

To her surprised, his eyes crinkled and he half laughed.

"Oh that, no, don't worry about it." He said lightly, leaving Kara feeling slightly off balance. Standing up from the table, he kissed the top of her hair as if to reassure her. Then he cocked the Heckler and Koch and fired off the action, making sure it worked, the whole process second nature, Kara heard the click of the safety going on. Kara looked at him, concerned at how quickly he'd brushed off her question and he smiled at her, his eyes melting her anxiety, she could drown in those brown eyes.

"Shower time" he told her, pulling her up from the chair, "Ms Foster, you are wearing far too many clothes and you are very dirty"

And that had been their morning, that was how that discussion had gone. There was a knock on the bathroom door and Kara came back to the moment.

"Sweetheart, you've been in there a while." Danny voice came through the door, a hint of concern noticeable.

"Oh, yeah, I'm done." She unlocked the door and found Danny leaning against the door frame.

"Why did you just get changed out here? I've seen you naked before." His eyes showed bemusement.

"I didn't want you to see the moment that I couldn't fasten my trousers anymore." She admitted, with an embarrassed smile. He pulled her into big hug.

"You look fantastic."

"You have to say that, you made me this way." She muttered into his chest.

"True, I played my part but honestly, you look fantastic. After tonight, you won't have to wear these trousers again, until after Been is born." He told her, keeping her wrapped in his arms.

"Yep, just a few more hours and then I can wear elasticated waistbands," she breathed out with relief at that idea, which was a mistake as the waistband suddenly felt tighter.

Danny let go and made his way into the bathroom and got out his shaving kit. It was a proper kit, a bar and brush that Kara knew he only saved for a decent shave, clearly the Inaugural Ball was a special occasion. It was weird how Kara knew this was his posh shaving kit but didn't know other, bigger things.

"Do you know what I'm not going to do for a week after tonight?"

Kara shook her head,

"I'm not going to shave, I'm going to have stubble."

"You'll look good with stubble." She told him nd went off to finish getting ready for the ball.


	46. Chapter 46

HI everyone,

Thank you for continuing to read and follow this story. Work has been hectic so there's been a long delay but I'm hoping you'll enjoy this.

The Inaugural Ball had been rather formal and was kept short, the President hadn't felt it was appropriate to have something too flashy considering the state of the city and for that Kara was grateful. She and Danny had been on separate tables and barely seen each other all night but this was work, they were here as representatives of the Nathan James, not as a couple on a date. She'd seen him looking over at her during the night and occasionally had this odd smile on his face, like he was nervous or terrified about something. Maybe it was because he'd caught her looking at them as he chatted to the two older women sat either side of him, who clearly felt their luck was in being placed next to Danny. Danny had pulled some strings and Jack had been invited, so that's who Kara was sat next to. It was the first time Kara had met him and she could understand why Danny liked the older gentleman.

"Did you know Danny has set me up with a job here?" Jack told her, "Me, who would've thought it, Jack Longbourne, working in the same building as the president."

Kara smiled at him, Danny had done more than just get Jack to the Inaugural Ball. He'd nominated Jack for the job in a recently set up department that dealt with the city. It had several civilians working in it that knew the city well and wished to see it back in working order, some had previously worked for the city but others like Jack knew the city well enough to be able to help. It wasn't a paid job as the monetary system was out of action but the job came with meals served throughout the day, access to hot running water and chance to make a difference to the city.

"I'm sure you're going to do a great job." She told him. They continued chatting over dinner, the food, which had been prepared by the chefs from the James was incredible. Kara wasn't much of a cook and she marvelled at how they had created a meal from so little, though knowing Bacon he probably had some black market connections to be able to get fresh meat and produce. He had laughed and winked when she'd asked him how he did it all and she hadn't asked again. The night had honoured many of the Nathan James' crew, especially those that had died. It hadn't been solely about them, the evening was about new beginnings and restarting the country but those that had died in a effort to make that new start were remembered.

Danny regularly thought about Frankie, he'd just pop into his thoughts for no reason. He'd lost so many friends over the last few months and he'd been so close to losing Kara – several times. He touched his pocket, the engagement ring still there, it was like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

Dr Scott had also been formally pardoned as well. As far as Kara was concerned she'd not done anything wrong. She hadn't said that out loud to anyone, she'd heard Danny mutter under his breath about the world being a better place without Niels and how Rachel had done everyone a favour. She knew he felt like this because he'd had to step in and save those children, there was an element of the daddy instinct kicking in. He'd somehow seen Niels as a threat to his child and he'd told Kara how disgusted he'd felt, sickened that someone like Niels was able to continue spreading the virus. In his eyes, the world was better off without him.

Later in the evening, Rachel came and sat down next to Kara,

"Just in case I miss you later, I thought I'd pop over and say "See you later". Her British accent rang out.

"You're going tonight?" Kara asked surprised. She knew Dr Scott had work to do but didn't realise she would be going so soon.

"I'm so close to being able to get the active cure distributed and I don't want to stop too long when I'm on a roll."

"Where are you going?" Kara asked, she was sorry to think Rachel would be leaving so soon. Rachel smiled and softly said:

"Asia." She then looked wistful and slightly sad, "It's silly, I know how unlikely it is but part of me wonders if I'll see Michael. I've had this thought that he'll just appear and I'll see him again. It'll be like nothing will have changed and the last 6 months have just been some sort of nightmare. Silly really."

Kara reached over and touched her arm, "No, it's not. If it was Danny, I'd always be searching."

Kara's eyes met Rachel and there was a look of grateful understanding. Kara glanced over at Danny, she knew he was there but she just wanted to see him. He was standing awkwardly, with Cruz, Wolf and Burke. A flock of young women from the local area were gathered around them. Burke looked to be in his element, entertaining them with stories of their recent adventures, with Cruz interrupting him every so often, vying for their attention. Danny just stood, looking awkward, nursing a glass of whiskey and every so often smiling and awkwardly nodding, Kara couldn't help but laugh to herself and Rachel looked over to see what she was smiling at.

"Are you laughing at Danny?" Rachel asked, a bemused look on her face..

Kara nodded, "He's hates this kind of thing, that, " she pointed at them, "right now is one of his worst nightmares. He'd be fine in a group of men and I know that right now, he wishes he could be hanging over there with Slattery and the Captain." Mike and the CO were laughing with the President, scotch glasses in their hands.

"He's such a dork," Kara said with a loving laugh and glance over at the visibly uncomfortable Danny. He caught her looking and saw her grin at him. "Like truly terrible with women, he really can't speak to them. At all."

"Well that's always good for you to know, though does beg the question, if he can't talk to women, how did you end up pregnant?"

"Well, work is different. We never went on a date, he never had to ask me out. Never had to approach me in a bar and make the first move. Our first conversations were work related, he didn't have to small talk and it progressed from there. I think the first thing we did together was he took me for my weapons handling test. He's not smooth and he knows it, not like Burke or Cruz or Wolfe. He's just a dork."

"I never would've guessed, considering how commanding and confident he is at work." Rachel couldn't hide the surprise in her voice and Kara smiled again.

"He's good at his job," Kara said with pride, "And he knows that. His training just gives him that confidence but he doesn't have the same confidence with women. In a way, it makes me feel even more special because he's relaxed around me and we've got this great thing. There's never been any pretence, we've always just been who we are at work, though things are probably going to be more awkward now. It's like we've done everything backwards."

She caught him visibly flinch when one of the women flirtily placed her hand on his arm and laugh loudly, he looked back over at Kara, his eyes pleading at her to stop laughing at him and rescue him. Cruz, Burke and Wolfe were still happily chatting, oblivious to Danny's inability to relax.

"Why doesn't he just come over here, if he feels that uncomfortable?" Rachel asked the obvious.

"Erm, I'm going to go with that it's because he's still a man and he doesn't want to look pathetic and under the thumb in front of his friends." Kara replied matter of factly.

"Ah, men," Rachel acknowledged, "Simple creatures." And they both laughed together. "You best go save your man."

Kara started to get up.

"Rachel, you will take care of yourself, won't you?" Kara had a flash of worry cross her face and it was Rachel's turn to reassure Kara.

"Of course. I think trouble only follows the Nathan James, I'm sure I'll be perfectly safe."

"When will you be back?"

Rachel placed her index finger onto Kara's little bump, it would seem odd at any other time but right now, it felt so natural.

"I'll be back before Baby Green is born." Rachel told her and Kara smiled.

"Good." After all it was Rachel who had first spotted the pregnancy and it would like full circle if she was there when the baby was born, not to mention a friendly medical face.

A loud drunken laugh could be heard across the room, drawing looks from a lot of people, Rachel and Kara included. Danny stood stiffly, pulling away as one of the women twirled her fingers in his hair.

"I'm surprised Val hasn't marched over there yet and knocked out the woman starting to drape herself over Wolfe."

"Is that actually a thing?" Rachel asked, she might give the impression of being a proper English snooty scientist but she wasn't above the gossip, a fact both she and Kara knew.

"Well, nothing has happened but I know there's a flirty thing between them and I know Val wants something to happen but again he's a man. I'm sure he has no objection to women paying him attention." Kara said dryly, "However, I feel I've let Danny suffer enough, I'd best go and put him out of his misery." She said with a grin.

"OK, I'll see you in a few months, Kara, look after the bump."

Rachel gave her a hug and it caught Kara a little by surprise but she instinctively she hugged the doctor back.

"Take care Rachel, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you bump into Michael." She said softly and Rachel hugged just a bit tighter.

"I'll see you soon." She said as Kara left to go get Danny and Kara waved back over her shoulder.


	47. Chapter 47

Hi everyone, thank you for continuing to read. So I'm hoping you enjoy the next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Kara was relieved when the formal part of the night was over. Mike Slattery had been doing the rounds of the tables and made sure all the sailors from the James knew to meet in the hotel bar afterwards for the more informal, fun part of the night. It meant she could unbutton her trousers ad breathe out. Danny was still being a little odd, she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was, he just seemed a bit on edge, he'd start to say something and then stop. Originally she thought it was because he'd had to make a speech about his team at the dinner and that he was nervous about that but his speech had been flawless, a tribute to his team who had paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The majority of the crew that were able to get off the ship that night had gathered in the bar, only a duty skeleton crew remained onboard.

The sea shanties had started. Tex, surprisingly, knew a lot of the songs, odd for someone that had been Army and not Navy. Danny and Kara had moved away from the main group and stood by the bar but continued with the singing. Someone called for Tex to lead the next shanty and placing Andrea's cap on his head he started:

" _We'll be alright between the Devil and the deep, we'll be alright between the Devil and the deep, we'll be alright between the Devil and the deep, an' we'll all hang on behind_."

Wolfe corralled everyone else into singing, the Australian had demonstrated a good singing voice once fuelled by beer. Danny looked at Kara, she was singing along and he joined in but he had to do it and do it soon, the engagement ring had been buring a hole in his pocket. He'd been looking for the right moment all night, he'd start, his mouth would open but when Kara looked at him he'd just not get the words out. It led to him smiling awkwardly and not actually asking but he wanted to do it, he just had to do it.

" _We'll be alright because we sail the Nathan James….."_ Burke started, followed by whoops and cheers, Danny took a deep breath and before he could stop his hand, he pulled the engagement ring out of his pocket, this wasn't what he had in mind but it was happening. He held it up in front of Kara's face, it took a second for her to realise what was happening and her face froze in shock. She looked at the ring, then to his face then back to the ring. He took a deep breath,

"Is now a good time?" he asked as she continued to look at the ring and let out a gasp of disbelief, she looked back to him.

 _"_ _Cause we sail the Nathan James…"_

"I've been trying to find the right moment to do this." He told her, almost having to shout over the singing. Kara could hear the nervy edge in his voice and he looked at her as if he couldn't guarantee what her answer would be.

 _"_ _And we'll all hang on behind….."_

"I got this ring from your mom in Norfolk," he explained as Kara went back to looking at the ring, she was smiling but he could see the shock on her face. He caught her completely off-guard and he could see her processing what was going on.

 _"_ _Chariots along… An' we'll roll the old chariot along….."_

"and her blessing. And I just think it's….." he stuttered a bit not sure what else to say at this point. It didn't matter though as Kara cut him off, pulling him in for a kiss. Hang the non-touching rule, her lips were on his and he could feel the love and passion. He hoped this was a yes, technically she still hadn't said yes, this could be her way of rejecting him and letting him down gently. However this was a kiss to take his breath away, faintly in the back ground he could hear Halsey barking but it was like nothing else existed apart from the two of them, in this moment. The rest of the world had melted away.

The shanty finished amid cheers and at that point Tex noticed the couple.

"FRATENISATION" he shouted, pointing at them both, then he cheered for the young couple, the rest of the crew turned to look, and cheer erupted. It demonstrated that despite the rule breaking the whole crew had secretly been rooting for them to make it. Kara pulled away from Danny and grinned, biting her lip sheepishly.

"Danny and Kara sitting in a tree…." Tex started, "First comes love, then comes marriage…."

Slattery held his hand, "Whoop, going to stop you there bud, not in this relationship…" he said jokingly and the crew laughed. Danny groaned inwardly, this was not how it was meant to go, she still hadn't said yes and now they had an audience.

"Oh my God, can't guy propose in peace?" he yelled at them all, he held the ring up to make a point and the room dropped silent. Tex leaned in to Slattery and said, not so quietly, "Well if that kiss was a no, I'd hate to think how she'd say yes."

Danny swallowed hard, "So, will you marry me?" he looked at her, an element of uncertainty existed in his eyes. The room remained so still and quiet, the crew leaned in needing to know the answer as well.

"Yes," she told him with a smile and the room erupted, with cheers and whilstles for the couple. Kara just looked at Danny and laughed, he could still see the shock on her face and he laughed as well. He couldn't believe he'd done it and how he'd done or that fact that she had actually said yes but however it had happened, it didn't matter now: She'd said yes.


	48. Chapter 48

Hi everyone, thank you for continuing to read. We all knew it was coming but a bit of a sad one tonight. Hope you can enjoy it.

Kara lay on her side, Danny's arm over her, comforting her, protecting her. She'd just woken up, startled by the dream she was having but unable to recall it. The room was dark and it was the middle of the night but Kara could tell that Danny wasn't asleep either. Despite not having many nights together, she could already tell by the way he held his body that he wasn't sleeping. A tear slid down from Kara's eye, it ran over the bridge of her nose, down the opposite check and was absorbed silently by the pillow. Earlier in the evening, when Danny proposed, this was not how she expected the night to end. They stayed down in the bar for a while after Danny's proposal, the crew coming up and congratulating them. Tex, Slattery and the rest of the "boy's club" bundling Danny out for a cigar and whiskey and Bacon had already mentioned wedding cake. She had a little smile to herself, forgetting the rest of the nightmare, a little shiver of excitement going through her. Danny misinterpreted the shiver and hugged her tighter, "Shhhhhh," he hushed, moving the top arm to brush some hair off her forehead. She worked her way loose to look at him, twisting her top half in the bed. She gently grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him.

"I was thinking about the proposal. It feels wrong to be happy about something when our friend has just died." She told him, a bittersweet memory now and he stared deeply into her eyes, deep and sorrowful, he understood. "I love you." She simply said, three small words but with so much more behind them now. She thought back over the night and it's sad end.

They'd left the bar with Wolfe, Slattery, Cruz, Burke and Tex, climbing up through the hotel via a back stairwell. The lifts were out of bounds at the moment, following the day where Millar and Val had gotten stuck together for a couple of hours and it had taken some time for their disappearance to be noticed. By the time they were found, Val was drunk and cursing loudly, Millar looked terrified and it turned out Val didn't like lifts. Apparently he'd tried counselling her, pleading with her, there had been tears – from possibly both parties though Millar would never admit it and eventually Val had broken into a bottle of wine in her bag that she'd found in her hotel room and was supposedly returning to the bar. After that, the lifts were deemed out of bounds due to their power requirement and unreliability.

They were a noisy bunch, Danny, now completely relaxed and somewhat intoxicated, was proving how strong he was by insisting he piggybacked his future wife up the stair. Cruz was lamenting how it was wedding season, he thought he might be in love with one of the floozies that was hanging off his arm earlier, to which Burke protested, saying he was in love with her.

"Bullshit," Tex was heard to say, " You barely know the woman. And you needn't look so smug," he told Danny as they practically fell through the door onto the corridor where they were staying, "You got lucky with that one, I've lived with you, that poor woman…" he gave Kara a mock glance of sympathy. He was cut off by a loud bang. Instinctively, Danny pulled Kara off his back and behind him, he'd practically thrown her on the floor. Kara wasn't sure what was going on but she noticed that the whole party was down on the floor, practically hugging the wall.

"That was a shot," Wolfe whispered urgently.

"Shotgun." Slattery hissed, his eyes wide, "Who the fuck is running round with a shotgun?"

Tex shook his head, he had no idea and neither did anyone else. They were round a corner from where the shooting had taken place, so no idea what or who was on the other side.

"Is anyone armed?" Danny asked and Wolfe reached into his trousers, pulling out a bowie knife, that had been concealed on his lower leg. He crawled forward to where the wall curved and peered round. He leapt up.

"CLEAR" he shouted starting to run forward. "It's Doctor Scott." He called.

"No, Rachel." Tex burst round the corner and started to run towards her.

"Where's the shooter?" Slattery shouted, "where is the shooter?" He quickly scanned the corridor, no sign of anyone except for the good Doctor, who lay almost motionless on the floor. A movement at the end of the corridor caught his eye, the fire exit door slowly closing. He took charge.

"Danny, Wolfe… follow the shooter. I want him alive," he indicated the fire door and the two took off running, adrenaline fuelled and now sober. "Tex, stay here with me and Kara." Tex was no longer listening, he was hunched over Rachel, his hand on her abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding and Kara ran towards him. "Burke, Cruz, take the other stairs, one of you get Rios and the other….. cut him off at the bottom…."

"Where's the President and Captain Chandler?" Burke interrupted.

"The ball room," Mike said. "Change of plan, Cruz, find Rios then the ballroom. Get Captain Chandler, get him up here now. Burke, cut that son of a bitch off at the bottom."

Burke and Cruz ran back from where they'd came.

"I WANT HIM ALIVE." Slattery screamed. He looked round and seeing a linen cupboard, pulled out towels. He practically threw them at Kara, who'd taken over form Tex in trying to stop the bleeding. Rachel wasn't speaking, her eyes were open, pain and fear making them wide. She was starting to gurgle and blood dribbled out of her mouth. She knew she was dying. Tex cradled her, slightly rocking. Her hand was clawing at Tex's shirt, as if grabbing his shirt would help her grab onto life. Her panic could be seen across her face and the eventually caught hold of Tex's shirt.

"It's ok, it's ok," he kept repeating, Tex was trying to be soothing but the underlying tone of anguish was there. Tex had somehow gotten her cradled into his lap and he looked down at Rachel. She tried to say something but it made her cough feebly and the blood bubbled at her mouth.

Kara looked, it was like Quincey all over again but without the opportunity to talk. She'd taken a shotgun round point blank to the abdomen, there was blood and bodily debris and Kara had no idea how she wasn't dead already. It didn't feel, judging by the spreading blood stain on the white towel, that she was making much of a difference.

"It's ok Rachel, we're getting help." Mike told her gently, kneeling at her other side. They all knew that help wouldn't arrive in time but the lie was appreciated. She pulled her eyes away from Tex and smiled with her eyes at Mike. She feebly lifted a hand towards him and he grabbed it.

"We'll get him Rachel, I promise." She nodded and her eyes drifted shut.

"Keep… my….. work going," she managed to gasp.

"No, no," Tex said, he voice full of anguish, "No, just hang on a bit longer. You can keep it going yourself." He voice broke as he pleaded with her and her eyes fluttered back open but her breathing was starting to slow.

A door banged open.

"RACHEL, MIKE." Captain Chandler's voice could be heard, he rounded the corner and when he saw her, he froze. "God no," he uttered, horrified." He ran but felt like he was moving through syrup. Mike moved out of the way from him to kneel by her side and he pressed Rachel's cooling hand into his.

"Rachel…." He started then stopped, he had nothing. He had some much to say to her but right now, there was nothing. He looked over Rachel at Tex, who gave the smallest shake of his head, almost missible but it was there. Rachel gurgled some more as her mouth moved and Kara tried to work out what she was saying. Rachel weakly moved her hand up to Tom's face and ran a shaking finger down his jaw. Kara thought she just looked calm now, the fear had gone and she looked like she'd stopped fighting. Her hand dropped back down and Tom grabbed it. Rachel manged to grab Tex's arm with her other hand and gave a feeble squeeze and Tex bit his lip, he covered her cold hand with his and fought back against a tear threatening to run down his cheek but Rachel saw it. It dripped off his cheek onto her arm and she smiled slowly, as if to tell him she'd be ok. Her eyes closed again and she gave a weak cough. She took a slow breath in and as she breathed out, Kara heard her manage to say "Michael." and a small peaceful smile took place on her lips. Kara looked around her, as if she was on outsider looking in. She saw the look exchanged between Tex and the Captain, Rachel was dying surrounded by two men who loved her and one man she loved on her mind. It somehow seemed very fitting and if this had been a Hollywood movie it would have been poignant but it wasn't a movie it was real life and it was heartbreaking.

She didn't open her eyes again, her breathing became shallow.

"We're still here." Tex told her and Kara once again struggled to hold back a sob, she swallowed hard.

"It's ok Rachel, "Tom told her gently, almost giving her permission to let go and with that Rachel's chest expelled air one final time and then nothing. The blood had started to dry around her mouth and her hand went limp on Tex's arm and slowly slipped back onto her body.

Dr Rios came running round the corner and came face to face with four shocked faces. Tom's mouth was open with shock, he shook his head slowly and Dr Rios slowed down to a walk. Mike went round to Kara and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You can stop now Kara, she's gone." He told her gently. She hadn't realised it but she was still pressing down, her full bodyweight on Rachel's abdomen still and it almost felt wrong to take her hands away. The towels were soaked through and Kara had blood all over her hands.

"I'm sorry Rachel," she whispered and she sat back, hard, against the wall. She put her head in her hands, not noticing the blood smearing over her face and in her hair. Distantly, she could hear Dr Rios pronouncing a time of death and she saw Captain Chandler rub his jaw. Tex silently allowed the tears to flow down his face and Mike Slattery took and hip flask out of his pocket, offering it first to Tex, who took a large swig and followed by himself. Tom Chandler refused the offer of a drink with a wave of his hand as Mike pointed it in his direction.

She couldn't remember what happened next. There was a blanket of shock over the corridor, only broken when a breathless Wolfe crashed through the back fire exit, a look of jubilation on his face, the sobriety of the corridor hitting him like a wall . He read the situation and slowed down, the exhilaration of success dropping away to melancholy immediately. He reached them and took a second, staring at Rachel. His lips disappeared as he tightened them into a frown of sadness. Once again reading the situation, he leaned into the XO, "Sir, we've apprehended the suspect." He said quietly and the XO nodded, grimly. Wolfe stepped back against the wall. Mike clapped the Captain on the back and then lightly tapped a couple of more times and Captain Chandler nodded silently before Mike moved away.

"Let's go," he told Wolfe. The two of them disappearing.

It didn't take long for other people to start turning up. People wanted to help and somehow Kara got worked out of the immediate group surrounding Rachel. She found herself next to Tex, who had stopped speaking. He just looked broken. Kara reached out to him and drew him into her hug. He didn't hug her back but lay his head on her shoulder, his body wracked with sobs and Kara just cradled him, trying to give whatever warmth and solace she could. Eventually everyone started to fall away. Rachel was gone, Captain Chandler gone with her and only Tex and Kara remained in the corridor. She didn't want to go into the room without Danny and she didn't want Tex to be alone, they sat, propped up by the corridor wall.

Kathleen appeared at that point.

"Dad," she ran to him. Tex had calmed, there were no more tears but a sadness haunting in his eyes. She helped him to his feet,

"Are you ok Kara?" Kathleen asked. Kara managed a weak smile, not overly reassuring.

"Yes," she whispered. "Take your dad, I'm just waiting for Danny, he won't be long."

"They don't think there's anyone else, just the one guy. He shouldn't be long." Kathleen said softly and Kara just nodded, trying to keep her face from screwing up again. She watched as Kathleen walked with Tex to their room and she sat numb. She was starting to feel the need to see Danny, she needed him here. Almost as if he knew, Danny turned up. Kara hadn't heard him, it's like he arrived by magic and she wondered if she'd fallen asleep. She tiredly looked up and he crouched down in front of her and pushed the hair out of her face. It was like she could let go now, here was her rock and her tears started to slide down her.

"I tried." She simply said.

"It's ok." He reassured. He helped her up and they started to walk down towards their room but Kara froze at the point in the corridor where a patch of blood remained on the carpet. In her mind the whole event rushed through double speed, once again watching her friend die. She just started to shake and Danny pulled her hand gently to try get her to move. When it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere, he simply swept her into his arms and carried her, as if she weighed no more than a baby bird, down to their room. She had no idea how he'd opened the room or got her undressed but she was next aware of the warm water hitting her. She registered being sat on the floor in the shower, the fat drops of water raining down. It was bringing her back to life, the warm shower, washing away the night. Danny hadn't gotten undressed, he'd kicked off his shoes but it's like nothing else was important. He was washing her hair and she could see a pink tinged water disappear down the drain. The blood was running away from her. He shampooed her hair gently, trying not to get the soap in her eyes. Her hands becoming clean again. Eventually Danny finished, turning off the water, he gently asked, "Can you stand?" and Kara did it. It was like a body and mind disconnect, she could do things but she wasn't sure if her mind would let her. She felt Danny wrapping her in a large fluffy towel, drying her now clean hair and leading her out to the bedroom. It was as if life gripped her again, she whirled round at him and caught him by surprise.

"Will you sleep on the door side of the bed tonight?" she asked meekly, he nodded, not saying a word and she leaned into him, her forehead resting on his chest. For a moment she felt nothing, just blankness and then the sobs started, huge sobs, right into Danny's chest, his wet shirt showing no signs of her tears. He rocked her from side to side and when she quietened down he manouvered her round to what had been his side of the bed. Again, in a daze, she got into bed, drowned by the white hotel bedding, a stark contrast to the blood red that dominated her thoughts. Danny started to move away,

"Don't leave me," she heard herself plead and his face, fully of love and sympathy came within inches of hers.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her, lightly kissing the tip of her nose. She heard Danny strip off his wet clothes and clean his teeth. After what was only a couple of minutes but seemed hours, he slid in the bed behind her. Flicking the switch for the mian light off, leaving only the small bedside light glowing he curled right up to her.

"I will never let anything happen to you." He whispered, kissing the back of her neck, his hand pressing on the small baby bump, "You're mine and I will not let you get hurt."


	49. Chapter 49

Good morning folks. Thank yu for continuing to read and leaving feedback. I hope you enjoy the following chapter. Tried to keep it classy.

Kara pulled on the soft black dress, it was an a-line cut and tied around the back, pulling it in under her fuller breasts and the skirt flowed over the more noticeable bump. She'd promised herself that the inaugural ball would be the last time she'd squeeze herself into her uniform and so it was. She'd found the dress in a shop window whilst walking through town with Val and true to previous form, Val broke in. Though this time she'd jimmied the lock rather than smash the window. She wandered into the bathroom to tie her hair back and found Danny stood in his dress pants, shirtless, the braces hanging down by his legs. He was concentrating on shaving, his head craning so he could shave under his chin but when he caught sight of her in the mirror, his eyes softened and his hand paused, his hand inches from his face.

"I know it's wrong to say but you look really nice." Probably not the thing you were meant to say about how someone was dressed for a funeral but she looked soft and feminine. Not that he objected to her doing to more adventurous things, in fact he loved that side of her but he hardly got to see her looking distinctly womanly. At this moment in time he felt more like a couple in a relationship than two colleagues in a relationship, seeing each other in a professional capacity ninety percent of the time, with only ten percent being allowed to be just themselves with no rank or uniform. It had changed over the last few days, they'd settled into a routine and despite leave being cancelled due to the preparations required for Dr Scott's funeral, they'd continued to stay in the hotel.

It had allowed them time to get to know each other, sometimes awkward or funny or just awkwardly funny. Like the first time Kara had had a poo in their bathroom, that moment came when Kara sat up in the middle of night, a couple of nights ago. She looked pained and she had her hand on her stomach, he panicked immediately,

"The baby?" he asked and she blushed.

"No," her lips disappeared as she rolled her lips together, she didn't quite meet his eyes and then she looked away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still concerned. She looked at him with an embarrassed smile as if trying to weigh up whether to tell him something.

"Oh this is embarrassing but what the hell. I need to use the bathroom."

"Oh," he dismissed the comment, "ok." Still not getting it.

"I need a poo." She said matter of factly and Danny's head drew back, now understanding.

"Ohhhhh," he laughed. "Have you not been using our bathroom for shitting?" he asked out right.

"No," Kara said almost defensively.

"Where have you been going?" he was still laughing.

"The guest heads by the dining room." She admitted which made him erupt in fresh laughter.

"Why didn't you just use our bathroom?" he asked, bemused. She swatted at him playfully, she, herself, now starting to laugh.

"Because it's…. it's… it's…" she tried to find an explanation, "because it's not sexy. It's embarrassing. It's not what a guy wants to think about his girlfriend doing." She rambled and Danny kept laughing. Of course, Danny didn't think twice about using the heads. He'd been taught during his training that having a bowel movement was normal. She'd heard him say that they're taught their body is a weapon, an efficient machine trained to fight, their gun is only an extension of a highly trained, effective weapon. The human body is designed to pass waste, if you don't shit there is something wrong with the system.

"Darling, I'm probably going to watch you give birth, bodily functions….," he laughed and he saw the colour drain from Kara's face, "Just go use the bathroom."

As she rushed off the bed she looked at him and with a steely glint in her eye she told him, "You're going to stay head end when I'm having this baby." As she shut the bathroom door she caught him rolling on the bed laughing. So that had been a funny moment and things had relaxed since then and the harder conversations were being addressed.

They laid in bed last night, naked after having made love. Hands touching each other, since Rachel's death it had been more frantic but last night had been slow and intense, like they hadn't been able to get enough of each other. Before this week sex had been infrequent and often rushed, in fear of being found it. It had often added an element of excitement but it hadn't felt like they could indulge. Tonight it had started with him massaging the inside of her thigh, a real turn n point for her, it had been unhurried and she'd known from the moment he started what his intentions were. They'd languidly enjoyed moving from position to position, he'd made her climax early and after that she'd focused on him. It had felt deep both physically and mentally and she could feel him build towards his end, he groaned, it was primal and guttural. Kara thought she'd never heard anything so erotic in her life and it sent a new wave of heat between her legs, causing her to grab his buttocks with both hands as if trying to pull him deeper into her. He never broke the deep eye contact with her as he'd emptied himself into her and Kara's legs wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him in deep whilst his hips jerked, each one accentuated with a groan. With that final thrust, Kara found herself climaxing, as he came he'd ground against her clitoris and the orgasm caught her off guard. She'd been so invested in his orgasm, the intensity of the eye contact, and swimming in that stare, that it had crept up on her. She shuddered with each contraction and Danny held her close, feeling her tighten around his penis. He gently let her go as her final groan died away and only at that point was he aware of the sweat dripping into his eye, he started to laugh as he looked at the sheets and there were sweat silhouettes of their love making. Kara narrowed her eyes, unsure of what he was laughing at.

"What?" she asked slowly and followed his gaze to the sheets. "Well that makes up for skipping the gym today." She said dryly. He kissed the tip of her nose as he rolled away from her. His arm resting across his forehead, in exhausted satiation. They lay there for a while, sweaty and satisfied, Kara's leg crossed over Danny's and his hand resting on her stomach. Comfortable silence between them, eventually Kara asked,

"How long does it take for the sadness to go away?" she asked into the air and Danny thought for a moment.

"It doesn't, not really." He voice level. "It gets better and you don't feel as sad but it never goes fully away….. I suppose it's bittersweet."

"You remember the good times." She said.

"Yes and you smile with the memories but then a little part of you stays sad because they're gone."

The conversation died and they lay again in silence, the room was growing dark. Eventually Kara boldly asked.

"Danny, do you have post-traumatic stress?"

There was silence and Danny rubbed his lips briefly.

"Yes," it was simple and confirmatory. Kara was surprised. Pulling the sheet over her, she rolled onto her side and looked at him

"You know?" she asked the shock in her voice.

"Yeah, I've had it for a while." He looked at her as if it were no big deal and shrugged. He'd known from the first flash back, only to be confirmed by the dreams. It was what is was and there was no point in getting stressed out about it, it would only make things worse.

There was a flash on Kara's face, "Why didn't you say anything?" she demanded.

"Why would I?" he looked puzzled at her reaction.

"I'm your fiancée," he looked at him as if she was expecting more. "Does anyone else know?"

"Mike Slattery…"

"Mike Slattery knows," she interrupted, he picked up the hurt in her voice but continued.

"And I guess Tex knows, we've shared a cabin long enough and there were a couple of nights I woke myself up shouting, I know he sleeps heavy but I don't think he slept through that."

"You told Mike Slattery before you told me?" Kara wasn't going to let it go.

"He asked." Danny exclaimed. "It's not like I just knocked on his door and said 'Hey Mike, I'm having flashbacks.' He asked me and I was honest with him."

"You told him before you told me." She said again but it wasn't a question this time, she looked wounded.

"Why does that upset you?" Danny asked, genuinely not knowing.

"Because we're a couple, we're meant to know these things, when the other is having a hard time we're meant to know. It's what being in a couple is about, you share things. But I'm not going to know unless you tell me."

"I'm sorry." He simply said.

"I could help you," she said earnestly.

"How?" he asked.

"You can talk about it to me."

It was Danny's turn to turn onto his side and he looked into her eyes.

"I love you but it's not the kind of thing I want to talk about, not to you."

"You're shutting me out. Do you think I wouldn't understand?" she demanded.

"I think anyone who wasn't there wouldn't understand, every dream and every flashback takes me right back to Afghanistan." He put his hand to his forehead in frustration.

"I could try." She pleaded, just wanting to help.

He rubbed his face, not wanting to get pissed off with Kara, he knew her intentions were good. He took a breath, started to say something and then stopped. He placed his hand on her face.

"I don't want to talk about it to you, it's not that I'm trying to shut you out, I want to let you in Kara and it will happen." He said firmly, there was no room for manoeuvre in his mind on this one and Kara opened her mouth to protest but he pushed, "But I don't want to talk about it to you because you are untouched by this, I don't want you to know the details, I don't need you to be there through me. I don't need you to see what I saw. You're unclean and untouched by it and I need you to stay that way." He explained to her. "I do my job, I have the occasional dream, I don't have flashbacks anymore and it isn't a big deal." He told her firmly. "Mike Slattery knows because he asked me, he is the person I see if I do want to talk about it."

Kara heard the final note in his voice and she heeded his warning.

"Ok," she simply said, knowing the discussion as over. "I love you." She told him and he pulled her into his side and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too." He replied. He rested his hand back onto her stomach, absent-mindedly stroking her skin. They lay there for a while, the discussion felt to have brought them closer together. Kara was glad they'd had it, it maybe hadn't gone the way she'd hoped, he hadn't broken down and shared fully with her but she understood his reasoning.

Suddenly he pulled his hand back from his stomach as if he'd felt an electric shock and just looked at Kara, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Was that….." he started to ask, trailing off and look of excited amazement onto his face, his mouth open. Kara nodded, a grin on her face.

"Yep, you just felt your baby kick."

Danny mouth fell fully open, a look of pure joy on his face, he let out a low laugh. Then bit his lip, in excitement. He placed his hand back on her tummy.

"Do it again baby," he spoke to her bump.

"It doesn't work like that." She told him, the voice of experience. "I didn't know if you could feel it yet. They've been getting stronger. At first it was just flutters but now, they're definite kicks. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to feel it yet."

He moved down the bed, both hands cradling her stomach and his head inches away from her naval.

"I felt it." He didn't take his eyes off her stomach, it was like he was willing the baby to kick again.

"There's going to be plenty more," she told him, running her fingers through his thick hair. He turned to her.

"I love you, you're amazing, this baby is amazing." And as if to agree, he felt the tiny movement again beneath his hand. He laughed again, his eyes shining and he moved up the bed on all fours to come face to face with Kara. He crushed her lips with his and they sunk into the bed becoming entangled with each other. He felt like he was radiating happiness, things weren't perfect but they were perfect right now and that's all that mattered.


	50. Chapter 50

Good morning all. Hopefully you'll enjoy the following chapter. My memory is terrible right now so had to go back through some old episodes to try and get details and timeline right. Apologies if it's slightly out. Back to the days when Danny didn't have a beard that was way too long. Hope you're all enjoying the new season. I promise, we are getting to some more fun times, like wedding planning in the upcoming chapters.

It had been an odd day and there had been a few fraught moments in the days in the run up to the funeral. Mainly because of the nature of it. The President had wanted as close to a state funeral as possible, with the resources available and several members, including Captain Chandler had pushed for something less formal. Kara understood why the President wanted such an affair, he felt he owed it to Dr Scott, she had found the cure and saved millions of lives. He wanted to pay tribute to her and her sacrifice. What she could've gone on to achieve was now unknown but it was known that she hadn't felt finished. Kara, however, as Rachel's friend, could see it from the Captain perspective. It was one of those horrible feelings where personal connections had to give way to the military and professional requirements. When you sign on that dotted line you sometimes have to give away your right to personal needs for duty to be carried out. Kara was more aware of that now than ever, she knew the Nathan James was not going to be staying alongside forever, which meant at some point soon Danny would be sailing away from her, regardless of whether she still had a bump or was holding a baby. She pushed the thought from her mind, not today, she would use today to be grateful for her friend who had saved her life and her baby, without Rachel's discovery she would've died in that isolation tent, probably never knowing she was pregnant. Danny had known before she did, he would've known, he'd have lost Kara and his baby that day. When he'd first visited, she didn't know why, she hadn't been well enough to process the information in her head. She couldn't link the information as to why, when they'd been punished and the relationship had ended as to why he'd been allowed to see her. He'd not told her she was pregnant until he knew she was getting better, until he knew the baby would be fine. Whilst most of her fevered time in the isolation tent was a haze she remembered that moment clearly, Tex trying to get Dr Scott to dance nd being told to get back into bed, Andrea already looking at the numbers and Danny, bringing her water. He'd been attentive, she was puzzled why and seemed to be with the approval of the Commmand. The XOkept looking in and smiling at her, it was becoming unnerving. Then it occurred to her, maybe she was still sick, the cure hadn't worked and she was the only one dying but no one else seemed concerned, so it couldn't be that. Danny had sat on the bed, he looked tired but his eyes were warm and smiling, so she concluded that she wasn't dying, he'd taken her hands and she'd seen him suck in a big breath. She felt worried, what was he going to tell her but his words were the last thing she ever expected to hear. He'd squeezed her hands and leaned in.

"Kara," he'd said hesitantly, he smiled and a look a sheer terror flashed over his face. The disappeared as quickly as it came, "Kara, you're pregnant."

She just stared at him, dazed.

"The baby's fine and….. it's immune." Finally his face broke, it was a look of pure relief, his eyes shining. The logistics of the future not yet in his head, at this moment in time he could only see that she had survived and was carrying his child. The last couple of days since finding out had given him a lot of time to think. He refused to believe she would die but every so often the black thought would creep into his mind, like a black fog slowly rolling in. He'd done a lot of phys since finding out. He'd not thought about having a baby, never crossed his mind, this thing with Kara had started out as some fun. He liked Kara - a lot - but they'd not been in the position to think about a future, they hadn't even been on a date. He knew he liked her enough to want to see her when they got back to base, knowing there was potential for it get serious. She'd only given in and had sex with him when they realised they were not going home anytime soon and looking back maybe he had been pushy but she had been the one who had initiated it – the first time. Twice they'd had sex, then they'd had the near miss in which he'd tried to put her before the mission. He knew then it was more than just fun but it had to stop before it become too serious, he realised when he was on the RIB that this no longer had the potential to be serious, he had serious feelings for Kara Foster but he couldn't allow it keep going on. Now that decision was made for him, he was linked to Kara forever, so long as the baby survived and he did want it to survive, he wanted to be part of her life for the rest of it. Funny how a near death experience and a baby could make you realise what was important. He thought they'd been careful but sometimes the universe had other plans however she had to survive the virus.

He didn't think there were many fathers who got to tell the woman she was pregnant, not only did he knew everyone wearing a bio-suit also knew. It took a split second for the news to sink in and it overwhelmed Kara. She was still slightly unwell, her body hurt from the virus and she just cried when the information sunk in. Danny had pulled her into him and she had a face full of bio-suit but she could feel his arms around her, soothing her. She wasn't upset, she didn't know how she felt other than overwhelmed however she could just head his last comment going round in her head. "It's immune." Whatever happened their baby was immune. After that she'd fallen asleep, she knew Danny had worried that he'd set her back by telling her but Rachel had reassured him that she was just recovering and it was normal.

Kara thought back to that day, so much had happened, it had strange to think that was only five months ago. Only five months. She dragged her attention back to the podium where the President stood. There had eventually been a compromise on the funeral arrangements. There would be a public memorial service where she would be seen as the hero that she was, there would be formal speeches by the President and Captain Chandler and a service by a minister but the actual burial was restricted to those who had served with her, more personal, the way Rachel would've liked it. She had known she wasn't a perfect person and she hadn't done what she did for the glory and public accolades. Captain Chandler had also been concerned that any immunes still hiding out would see a state funeral as an opportunity to riot and claim Dr Scott as some sort of prize in their quest for an Immune controlled world.

The funeral service was being held in the morning, it had been low-key and touching. The weather matched the mood, it was dry but clouds held overhead, threatening rain. Master Jeeter had carried out the service, there had been a Guard of Honour and the flag had been folded. Captain Chandler had been presented with the flag, it had already been decided that the hospital would become the Dr Rachel Scott Memorial Hospital and the flag would be mounted in the entrance. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, there was still a formal military approach. The crew of the Nathan James stood in file and came to attention, their uniforms pressed, their brass shiny. It had naval tradition throughout, they still observed their military bearing and Kara stood to one side with Tex, Kathleen and Bertrice. Kara comforted Bertrice with an arm around her, Bertrice cried silently, tears just spilling down her cheeks but her face was composed.

"So it with great sadness that we remember our colleague and friend, Dr Rachel Scott, to which we owe so much….." Master Jeeter lamented and Kara saw Danny flick his eyes in her direction. He knew that without Rachel his life would be so very different right now. She smiled sadly at him and absent mindedly ran her hand across her bump. Danny pulled his eyes back to Master Jeeter.

Once the service was over, the crew had been fallen out, they milled around the grave site. Almost reluctant to leave, etiquette dictated no one left before the President and the CO but they showed no haste. Kara and Danny stood with a small group, the small group that had been there when Rachel had died, with the addition of Kathleen who barely left Tex's side. Lt Cdr Slattery looked at his watch and sighed,

"Right, best get this moving. Get this afternoon over and done with." Mike's lack of enthusiasm for the Memorial Service this afternoon was well known in private, in public though he plastered a smile on his face and told the President it would be a fitting tribute to Dr Scott. His main concerns had been the security issues and would rather have kept it low key. He felt it was too soon and there were too many people who could cause problems. They watched Mike Slattery usher the President towards the car waiting for him and slowly the crew moved towards the exit. Tex excused himself to say goodbye, privately to Rachel and Danny looked at Kara. She nodded and he moved next to his friend at the graveside. They stood in silence, neither looking at each other but aware of each other's presence. After a few minutes Danny cleared his throat.

"Tex, I'd really like you to stand up with me at my wedding." He spoke out into the open, without looking at Tex.

They hadn't discussed much of the wedding, he and Kara, he knew she wanted something small but both agreed this was the right time to ask Tex.

"You have been an amazing friend to me and I would like it if you could be by my side, be my best man." He turned to look at Tex who continued to stare across the graveyard. He thought for a moment and then smiled sadly at his friend.

"I'm leaving Danny, I won't here."

Danny didn't feel overly surprised by this information, maybe in the back of his mind he knew and that's why he'd asked.

"I can't stay here now. It was different before, when she was just going away. I think I was always going to leave but maybe not like this."

Danny nodded, he understood. The past few days Tex had barely cracked a smile, his usual jokes had gone, it was like a light had gone out. Danny hadn't realised that his feelings for Dr Scott had been so strong. They'd always been unrequited but they had run deep.

"I need to take Kathleen, we need to get out of the city, make a life somewhere, for the two of us. When you have your kid, you'll understand that even more."

Danny understood now but not to the full extent that he would once the baby was here. Right now, he had to trust Kara to do the caring for their baby, his input was rather minimal right now. He could only try and protect Kara.

"So I'm sorry Danny, I can't stay stand up with you. I want it all to turn out well for you, you deserve nothing less."

Danny said nothing but just put a hand on Tex's shoulder and the two stood there for a moment.

"I hope you find some peace, Tex. Kathleen is lucky to have you in her life."

"I just need to do right by my kid now." Tex told him.

"We love you Tex, don't forget that. You're our family no matter how far away you go."

Tex leaked a tear from his left eye, it ran into his beard and he nodded.

"I'll leave you to say goodbye to Rachel." Danny patted his shoulder and Tex nodded, it wasn't their goodbye, that would come later but it was time to say goodbye to Rachel. Danny turned and caught up with Kara and Burke who were walking towards the path, he briefly turned to see Tex, still stood at the graveside, Kathleen hanging back, waiting for her father. It was a sad day.


	51. Chapter 51

Good Evening all, I hope you're all. Probably just finishing up watching this week's last ship, if you're in the Uk. Thank you for th previous chapter reads and reviews. Hopefully get a couple more chapters posted this week as potential work trip coming up, so want to get some stuff posted before then. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

A couple of days had passed, Danny had gone back to work on the Nathan James. He'd been assigned the role of physical training instructor, they were hoping they'd find a PTI at Norfolk who'd join the Nathan James but for the mean while they had Danny. He'd left the hotel that morning, pleased t have something new to do. He'd noticed some of the crew looking less fit and he realised that it had difficult to maintain fitness whilst at high readiness or action stations. He loved phys, the gym was his go-to happy place and he loved the fact that his job required him to work out. Things were changing though, this role had been assigned to him by Captain Slattery who had assumed command of the Nathan James the previous day and Captain Chandler had taken up post as Chief of Naval Operations. He'd requested that Lt Foster reported to his new office, in the new presidential building that morning. She and Danny had parted in opposite directions at the hotel door, he back to the old and familiar and she to something new and unknown.

He dropped a cone on the flight deck and Halsey whined at him. He'd seriously neglected his training, Frankie would be so disappointed in him. Halsey was Frankie's working dog, they'd deployed to Afghanistan together, Frankie training as his handler prior, building that bond with him. He'd been trained as an attack dog and Danny had seen him take a suspect down. The sight of the dog running so hard into a grown that it threw him down to the ground, his teeth clamped around his arm until Frankie had called him off, then he pranced over to Frankie, waiting for his reward of a tennis ball. It was all a game to Halsey, he'd completed his task and now expected a reward. He'd let that training go but he felt that Halsey would still do his job if the command was given. He threw a tennis down the flight deck and Halsey chased it.

"He's a great dog," Danny heard a voice behind him and he straightened up to attention immediately.

"Sir," he didn't salute, he wasn't in uniform but his voice and his response noted his respect to Capt. Slattery and he acknowledged it but quickly brushed the gesture away with his hand.

"Relax," he said. He picked up the ball that Halsey had dropped at his feet and threw it back down the flight deck. "I'm guessing he does more than play fetch."

Danny shrugged, "He used to, not sure what he'd do now. He's was Frankie's and by all rights, shouldn't have been on the Nathan James. He's an attack dog"

Mike couldn't quite see it in the large dog, stood in front of him, with a slobbery ball in his mouth and expectant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so looking at him but he's been thrown through windows in Afghanistan, survived fire fights and parachuted out of planes. Somehow, Frankie managed to keep him."

Danny had no idea how he'd done it but Frankie would've been able to sell ice to an eskimo and somehow he'd kept his dog.

"I'm guessing you didn't come to discuss the dog though, Sir."

Mike dragged his attention away from Halsey,

"Yeah, um. Do you need to go to Norfolk?"

"Sir?" Danny asked puzzled.

"I need some people to go to Norfolk, do a supplies run, find some people but before I open it up to the crew who may want to go for personal reasons, I need to allocate seats in the convoy to those who need to go for professional reasons."

Danny thought, he could do with going to Norfolk, ideally he wanted to see if he could find any other SEALS who might want to make up a team on the Nathan James. Whilst he was thinking Capt. Slattery continued,

"I obviously need some people to stay behind as ship's protection but also I need a team to protect the convoy….."

"I could use a trip to Norfolk."

"Great, I'm going too." Slattery said, "So who do you want to make up 'Vulture' team?"

Danny thought for a moment.

"When do we leave?" he asked, "I want to take Millar but I want to do some mounted and dismounted drills with him before we go. He has no experience on vehicles and I want to train him up to be part of the team." Danny's fondness for Millar had developed over the last few weeks. He'd gone from being a clutzy, inexperience young man to being someone he valued in having on his team but he still needed some training.

"He's unrecognisable now," The CO mused, "I never thought I'd see the day Millar was picked, optionally, to join a forward operating team."

"He's no longer a kid." Danny said, reflectively, "it's something that happens when you've been shot at a few times and some of your friends have died."

Slattery knew there was an element of personal experience in Danny's comment there. He wondered how he was doing with his dreams now and he hoped they had settled.

"I'm all good, Sir," Danny told him reassuringly with a smile, as if he'd read his mind. "So Norfolk, in terms of convoy protection, I'd like Wolfe, Burke and Cruz. Does that leave you with enough for the ship?"

Mike scratched his head, thinking about who was left.

"Yeah, the ship can manage. Are there….." Slattery started tentatively, thinking about whether he should continue, "Erm, are they any personal reasons as to why you might not want to go to Norfolk?"

Danny looked at him cluelessly, oblivious as to what personal reasons could exist.

"No?" he answered, wondering if he should have a personal reason.

"Kara. Your pregnant fiancé." Slattery hinted.

"Oh," Danny replied somewhat dumbly, he though briefly. "No, she'll be fine." He said somewhat dismissively.

Mike eyebrows went up and his face had a "we'll see" expression n it.

"If you say so." He said before launching Halsey's ball back across the flight deck.

In the new official government buildings, the conversation Kara was having with Captain Tom Chandler was taking a very different turn. It was the first day, in a new role, in a new job. She'd been called into the office and very solemn looking Capt. Chandler sat behind a big desk. Kara had noted that he looked just as much at home here as he had on the bridge of a ship, the same air of command and authority. Despite not being in official naval uniform, Kara had walked smartly into the office and come to attention in front of the desk. He'd been stood to greet her but soon stood her at ease and sat himself down. His hands, clasped rest on the desk in front of him.

"So, first day Lt. Foster. How are you finding it?" he smiled at her.

Kara took a deep breath, maybe her honesty was about to over step the mark but what the heck.

"With all due respect Sir, I've been here two hours and I am no clearer on my job or role now than I was when I walked through the door this morning."

To her surprise, Tom Chandler laughed.

"Good, that make two of us. That means together we can make you a new job. However before we get to that there is something important I have to do."

He stood up, his hands still resting on the desk in front of him.

"Now we both know the world has changed a lot but something that hasn't changed is the weight that rank carries with it, a title always carries respect. In fact it's more prevalent now than ever as people look for others with authority. If you and I were to walk into a room full of people and we were both to talk about the weapons system onboard the Nathan James, the one that for the last two years you have been getting to know and worked with on a daily basis, you made a statement and then I made a statement, then we asked the audience which statement was true, who do you think they're more likely to believe?" He asked.

"You?" Kara said.

He nodded, "Yeah, it's the influence of piece of gold braid on a rigid societal system that is in chaos. So to that end, I want you to be my assistant here. The Nathan James will deploy again and I need someone to be here to act on my behalf as we try and establish a new functioning navy."

Kara nodded, when he'd told her he'd find her a shoreside job in the new government, this wasn't what she'd pictured.

"So to that end, I can't have you as a Lieutenant here, I need you to be a Lieutenant Commander." He saw her jaw tense, the veins on her neck were visible.

"Sir," she acknowledged.

He understood her response.

"I know this much earlier than you have ever been promoted. You were good at your job Kara, but in the old Navy, it would've been years before you picked up, we both know it but this is essential now." He moved round from behind the desk and half sat down in front of her on the edge of it. He carefully studied her face, her brow was furrowed and she didn't meet his gaze.

"Lt Cdr Foster." He said and she pulled her eyes up to meet his.

"Sir," she said, clearly not happy.

"Most people are happy when they get promoted, you, however, do not." He observed concerned.

Kara took a deep breath in.

"No, I thank you Sir, for this."

"Kara, you words are saying one thing and you face says the complete opposite. Never play poker," he advised her.

"It's like I'm being promoted for breaking the rules and accidently getting pregnant." She finally said, "If I wasn't pregnant, I'd still be on the Nathan James and not needing a shoreside role to be created for me. I'm not sure how much credibility that holds especially with my peers." Kara didn't want to be promoted when she hadn't earnt it.

Capt Chandler let that sink in and he eventually replied with, "I'll only ever say this once Lt Cdr Foster, pregnant or no, you would have been my first choice for this job. It is just convenient that you are pregnant and worked for me because it means I don't have to fight to get you off the ship. As for your peers, I'm willing to make it local acting so that if and when you ever go back to being a TAO, you may go back as a Lieutenant."

She nodded in agreement to that and he continued.

"I never want to hear you say again that you think you were promoted because you were pregnant and it's the only thing we could think to do with you. Do I make that clear?" he demanded and she looked him in the eye, he almost looked angry.

"Yes Sir," she replied with conviction.

"Good," he stood up straight and handed her a pair of epaulettes, two and half gold stripes, not in the way that she'd imagined being promoted but a good feeling was starting to creep in and Capt Chandler noted the tiny smile playing on her lips. It was a very informal promotion, no caps, no saluting, just matter of fact. Capt. Chandler didn't know whether this was something significant, maybe he should've made it more formal – highlight that the Navy was continuing with tradition and upholding standards.

"You have earnt it Kara and you will continue to earn it." He told her and she nodded. "Now pull up a chair and we'll start putting together your job terms of reference."


	52. Chapter 52

Good morning All, thank you for you lovely reviews on my last chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next one. I've been writing this chapter in my head for a while now, in my head I'm a long way in front with this story, got plenty in the pipeline. So enjoy. PS there's a little bit of swearing in the upcoming chapter.

Danny threw his jacket on the bed in the hotel room and looked for any evidence that Kara had finished work, her jacket was not hung up and the floor absent of her shoes that she usually left in the middle of the floor on her side of the bed. It was something that he would've been wound up by if it had been one of his men but it was just something Kara did and he was ok with it. He sat on the bed, kicking off his own shoes, not really sure what to do with himself. During the working day today he'd already managed to do three hours of phys and didn't want to do anymore that evening, besides he wanted to see Kara, find out about her day, so he just lay back on the bed. It was unusual to have nothing to do, in the old world he'd have turned on the tv but there was no tv at the moment. He reached over to the bedside table on Kara's side and picked up a pregnancy book that was on there., he idly flicked through the pages, stopping every so often to read how hid baby was growing or the changes Kara's body would be going through. He'd never considered himself a dreamer, more a realist but more recently he'd found his mind wandering to the upcoming months and what it was going to be like. It wasn't ideal ad he certainly wouldn't have planned this but he found himself getting excited about the wedding and the baby. It resembled some sense of normalcy from the old world.

He heard the click of the key in the door and put the book down, he turned to find Kara stood in the doorway. He couldn't place the expression, maybe it was tentative happiness on her face.

"Hey Sweetheart," he said curiously and she grinned at him but her eyes still didn't fully light up.

"I got promoted," she said, a note of embarrassment creeping into the pride in her voice.

Danny grinned, his smile wide and genuine. It invited her to rush over to him and his arms enveloped her. He rocked her from side to side.

"That is amazing, congratulations." He beamed at her and she looked up into his eyes. He kissed her.

She pulled away, her eyes questioning, "You're not upset?" she asked softly.

He frowned though his eyes were still shining.

"Upset? Why would I be upset? It's fantastic."

"It's only local acting," she hurriedly explained.

"So? It's still great, I'm so proud of you." He hugged her tight again.

She loved how her made her feel. It's like she could still be who she was but his opinion mattered so much. He was masculine but at the same time not threatened by her success in work. Kara had dated some men whilst in the navy that said they wanted to someone outgoing and ambitious but all the time tried to hold them back because it threatened their self imagine. Danny had never been like that. Danny had reacted when her safety had been in jeopardy but he'd never belittled her ability to do her job. She knew he'd worried about her when they were on the Nathan James but that had also involved fear for the baby's safety.

"I'm worried about what Burke and Alisha will say," she said in his chest.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because they have worked as hard as me and haven't been promoted. I'm worried they'll think it's being rewarded because I was dumb and got pregnant so they've had to find me a new job and I got promoted."

"I think if you offered either of them a choice: pregnant and promotion or stay onboard and not have a baby, I think they'd pick the latter." Danny said dryly, "They'll know you're not getting promoted because you're pregnant. What did Chandler say?"

Kara raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, "Exactly what you said." She admitted. "He said I would've picked for the job anyway because I was the best for it, the fact that I'm pregnant is just coincidental."

"See." He told her. She moved away from him and kicked off her shoes. She left them in the spot where he was used to seeing them, a slight angel at the edge of the bed. He smiled.

"Got nothing to wear for the new job, nothing to put my new epaulettes on." She said pulling off her shirt and pulling on a navy blue hoodie the word "NAVY" emblazoned in yellow across the front. IT still fit, there was enough bag in it to hide her stomach. If Danny had seen her in the street like this he'd never have known she was pregnant. Danny started to pull his phys kit out of the bag and ran the wash basin full, he'd taken to washing through his phys kit daily so that he could get a couple of days wear out of them before they needed a proper wash. It wasn't ideal but the virus had meant compromises on a lot of previous lifestyle luxuries.

"I'll get you some maternity dresses from stores and few more pairs of epaulettes." The comment slipped out and he bit his lip, silently trying to pull the words back in. He closed his eyes, desperately hoping she hadn't picked up on his comment. The bathroom wall shielded his face from hers but he knew, instinctively, she'd picked up on it by the fact she'd stopped shuffling around the bed space.

"We're going to Norfolk?" he heard her asked excitedly and his eyes remained shut. There it was, the give away word – "we". Shit, this was not the way he had wanted this conversation to go. He had known she'd be excited about going back to Norfolk, she'd talked about them staying in the flat and showing him all her stuff, mainly letting him into her life, showing him things that were important to her. He wished he could take his words back and start again on this one.

"There's a trip going from the James." He replied steadily, praying she got the hint. It was clear she hadn't when her head popped round the bathroom door, an excited smile on her face.

"We'll be able to stay at my flat." He eyes beaming, "it'll be like being at home. How long are we going for?" She seemed oblivious to the possibility that she might not be going. She missed his jaw tense briefly and his hands gripped the side of the sink.

"Kara, you're not on the list to go." He told her gently, not quite looking at her and confusion flashed across her face.

"Not going?" she asked, "but I have a flat there….. and my mom is there. I've got to be on the list." She looked at him as if he was wrong, still not believing him.

"No, you're not." He told her, gently but firmly.

She pulled her face back, the excitement gone, replaced by a puzzled look.

"There's got to be a mistake." She still didn't accept it.

Danny turned away from the sink and fully faced her.

"Kara, you're not on the list to go to Norfolk." He repeated. She stared at him and crossed her arms across her chest. He recognised her defensive move immediately.

"Why?"she demanded, her chin jutting out. "I have as much of a need to go as everyone else."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, he didn't want to do this, he really didn't want to do this. "Kara, you know why you're not on the list. You're no longer part of the Nathan James crew and….." he reached out and brushed his index finger across her stomach, "You're not medically fit to go."

He tried to keep it as professional as possible. He saw her jaw lock and that was the calm before the storm and what a storm it was.

"Not medially fit? You're saying I'm not going because I'm PREGNANT and you describe me as NOT MEDICALLY FIT?" her eyes flashed and her voice got louder, "You can say it Danny, after all you knocked me up, it's you're baby."

She wheeled away from him back into the bedroom.

"Awh, come on Kara," he reasoned, "I was trying not to say it's because you're pregnant."

"But we both know it is, why try and pretend it's anything else. You know what, I'm going to see Captain Chandler about this….I bet he'll let me go." she started to put on her sneakers and Danny stood over her.

"Kara," his voice held a warning edge. "You're not going. It's going to be in convoy, there's risk of ambush and God knows what else."

"I can still fire a weapon Danny, or do you think you loose that ability when you get pregnant as well?" she asked sarcastically and he rolled his eyes. The problem was Kara saw the gesture. "So now I'm incapable and overreacting. Great, just great."

"Kara, be sensible. That's not what I meant." He started to feel a little frustrated, where was the reasonable girlfriend he used to have. "It's cross the states in convoy, you'd be sat in the back of a TVC, thrown round as we hit every pot hole and bump in the road, you'd have helmet and body armour on for the duration and that's not going to be comfortable for those people who aren't pregnant." He reasoned again with her.

"I can still fit in my body armour. I'm not that fat yet." She retorted.

"Kara," this was escalating, it was spiralling beyond the reaction Danny had imagined. "It's my turn now, I don't want you to go. There I've said it. I don't want you to go. As the mother of my child, I don't want you anywhere near that journey to Norfolk." He thought this might be enough to bargain with her.

"IT'S MY HOME. MY MOM IS THERE.. I WANT TO GO." her voice picked up volume again and there was anger written all over her body. He felt himself responding to her anger.

"AND THAT IS MY CHILD AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO." He shouted back and gestured with frustration at her stomach. There was a moment of silence where they both stared at each other.

"So that's how it is now? Huh? Every time I want to do something, you're going to play that card?" she challenged though her voice was calm and level.

"What else have I stopped you from doing?" he asked her, struggling to recall another time he'd put his foot down.

"That's all it's going to be from now on, isn't it? 'You can't do this because you're pregnant' or 'you can't do this because you have a baby.' I might as well just be useless. You know I can still do things." She told him.

"So you're going to risk your life and my baby's, just to prove you can still do things?" He told her. "How about I don't go. I know, why don't I go see Captain Slattery, I'll tell him that for personal reasons I can't go on the trip, would that make you feel better? I'll leave my team short but I'll stay here with you. I'll go see him right now." He manipulated her pride in her professionalism and he knew it.

"I would never ask you to do that." She bristled.

"No but you might as well be." He spat back.

Once again there was silence, neither of them close to being done. This was the first big argument, until now there had been a lot of sitting on things that bothered them both but the dam was broken now and the words were starting to flood out. Danny wasn't sure the relationship would survive the collateral damage at the rate they were going.

"I hate this," she told him, "you have no idea how much I hate this right now. You'll never understand." She started to flash again, "I'm stuck in an office rather than being able to do my job at sea. My body is doing weird things and I can do FUCK ALL ABOUT IT." The shouting reached pitch again. Those feelings of security and warmth she got from him earlier, how she liked him being masculine suddenly disappeared, she felt smothered and in front of her was the man that was partly responsible.

"I WANT TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU KARA BUT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT NOW. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY TOO BECAUSE I HAVE TO TRUST YOU YOU TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. MY PART IS DONE AND FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I HAVE TO SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND WATCH. DO YOU THINK THAT'S EASY FOR ME? I WANT TO PROTECT MY BABY AND THE ONLY WAY I CAN DO IT IS TO BE OVER PROTECTIVE OF YOU." He roared at her, he calmed himself. "Please Kara, I beg of you, just do the right thing for our child. I've had enough loss already and I am scared that if you go on this trip I'll loose even more. I'm sorry, you can't go."

"You're right, you're part is done." Kara said, her mouth set firmly, " You don't have to spend the next few months changing your life."

Again there was silence. Danny didn't know where his thought came from but it popped up.

"You blame me," he said, exhaling a little gasp of disbelief at the realisation, Kara turned her head away and held her index finger to her lips. "You blame me for getting pregnant."

Kara still said nothing.

"We were careful Kara. You were on the pill and we used a condom. This is not my fault, it's no one's fault." He told her firmly.

"Well, clearly there was something wrong with the condom." Kara said. In moments of clarity, she often wondered how they had been unlucky to get pregnant through two forms of contraception.

"You were also on the pill." he pointed out and then carried on. "You think I wanted you to get pregnant? Do you think I sat on a night pricking holes in a condom with a safety pin because deep down I wanted you to have my baby?" he scoffed at her. "This is not my fault, Kara. We were unlucky."

"DON'T YOU THINK I'M AWARE OF THAT? TWO FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL AND I'M STILL PREGNANT." she flashed again and then stopped. "We weren't careful enough. We should never have slept together."

Danny rubbed his face. Deep down, even though the sex had been consensual and pursued by Kara, Danny had always felt bad for loosing control and having sex with her. They had been careful but Danny had always considered himself more professional than that. There had only been a couple of times, once for comfort after Frankie had died and another time after Gitmo. He stopped his thinking and took a deep breath.

"Well it's too late now." He said resignedly, "It's happened. I love you Kara but you don't make this easy. I know this is not what you wanted, it's not what I would've chosen either but I already love that baby."

"I love it too." Kara said.

Danny suddenly felt tired, really tired and he noticed the strain on Kara's face. This was not going to be solved tonight. He went back into the bathroom and pulled the plug on the basin, the water gurgled down the sink. He threw his dirty PT kit back in his kit bag along with his toothbrush and zipped it up with a defiant jerk.

"What are you doing?" she asked, clearly not done with the conversation.

"I have early PT tomorrow, so I'm going to go sleep on the ship." He told her, not looking at her. Kara saw the he'd put his professional face back on, clearly he was done discussing this with her.

Kara threw her hands on her hips.

"Of course, yes. Of course you're going back to the ship. I forgot you're the guy that doesn't discuss anything with me. I'm you're partner and you can't even talk to me about your post-traumatic stress." She snapped.

He froze on his way to to the door and turned.

"FOR FUCKS SAKE, ARE WE SERIOUSLY BACK TO DISCUSSING THAT, KARA?" he yelled with frustration. "IT'S NOT A THING, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE."

"NEITHER IS MY ABILITY TO LIVE MY LIFE. GIVE ME SOME BLOODY CREDIT, DANNY." She screamed back.

"You're right, its not because of PT, I just don't think this discussion is productive now. I can't stay here, I need some space." He told her, turning his back and strode out of the door, allowing it to slam behind him, Kara staring opened mouthed. What the hell had just happened. Kara had absolutely no idea what it meant but it wasn't good.


	53. Chapter 53

Hi Everyone. Thank you for continuing to read. I really appreciate the reviews. I really do enjoy writing this and so I'm glad you like reading it. Enjoy the next chapter. Hopefully have a couple more up in the next few days.

Val wandered down the corridor, she was going to see Kara. It was a new friendship, unusual feeling for Val considering most of her previous friends had been online but she found herself enjoying the real company for once. Maybe the virus had killed off enough people for her not to feel overwhelmed by their masses. She now enjoyed being out in the fresh air, it was mostle peaceful and afte the last few months it was welcome. Val put her survival down solely to the fact she would squirrel herself away for days at a time in her basement, running her freelance IT company. She heard footsteps behind her and Wolfe was catching her up. She smiled a little flirty smile at him and he grinned back. The chemistry between the two had been building and Val wasn't sure if it was actually something or just something fun.

"Hey stranger, where are you going?" his Australian accent rang out.

"Only a stranger because you moved back onto the ship. I'm just off to see Kara, where are you off to?" she told him with a smile. He smiled back,

"Great minds, I'm just heading to see Danny quickly."

Val nodded and they ambled towards Danny and Kara's room, they stopped just before the door and Val found herself not quite sure what to say next.

"Well it's nice to bump into you." She said, a little awkwardly. She groaned inwardly, why did her feelings about Wolfe always make her sound as if she were challenged in the IQ department? 'Get a grip' she told herself, he was just a man bbut a very attractive man at that. Wolfe rubbed his beard as if thinking it over,

"You know, maybe we should get together sometime, have a catch up." He said disinterestedly, as if he didn't care what her response would be, Val interpreted that to mean that he did care greatly what her reposnse would be and whilst she wanted to jump on him right now she responded with the same degree of notchelance.

"Yeah, whatever. That sounds…. good. I mean, just whenever." She shrugged and looked down at the ground, know that if she made eye contact with him he'd be doing that intense stare and little crooked smile and she may not be able to sound cool if she saw that.

"Cool," he shrugged. The words said one thing but the body language between them both screamed something entirely opposite. Val ran her fingers through her hair and licked her lips and Wolfe leaned intowards her, his thumbs tucked into the waistband of his pants, his index fingers pointing down to his groin. Val looked up and there it was, the smouldering eyes and crooked little grin, staring at her. Without thinking about it Val found herself moving towards him, in her mind she was already kissing him, grabbing his hair, there was no doubt about it, this was lust. Her eyes locked with his, he clearly was having similar thoughts and then….

" _IT'S MY HOME. MY MOM IS THERE."_

Kara's yelling broke the spell and Val blinked, even though she'd been transfixed, the words had pierced through. She laughed almost self-consiously, broke the eye contact.

 _"_ _AND THAT'S MY CHILD AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO."_ Danny's reply was loud and clear. Val found herself wincing and then her mouth formed a silent "ohhhhh" shape. When she looked, Wolfe was staring at the ceiling, his lips pursed.

"Bad time to turn up at the Foster-Green household." She said. Wolfe's lips tightened and he nodded.

Val didn't really know what to do, she pondered for a moment, her finger tapping her lips. Should she leave? She needed to see Kara but it could wait but on the other hand, this had potential to get really interesting. Val wasn't a gossip, she didn't talk to enough people voluntarily to be a gossip but an argument could be exciting but then there was always that awkwardness when you know you;ve heard something not meant for you and not in a good way. Ugh, this was one of those social dilemas that computers did not gve her.

Wolfe was chewing the inside of his bottom lip, looking uncomfortable and all Val could say was,

"Awkward."

Once again the response was the tight lip smile and nod.

"We should probably go and let them fight it out." She said slowly.

She knew she should leave after all this was a private conversation but she couldn't quite bring herself to walk back down the corridor. Wolfe didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave either, maybe he was waiting for her.

 _"_ _My body is doing weird things and I can do FUCK ALL ABOUT IT."_ Kara voice was loud and clear on that one and Val found herself nodding slowly in agreement. Kara wasn't getting much choice about it.

 _"_ _I WANT TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU KARA BUT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT NOW. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY TOO BECAUSE I HAVE TO TRUST YOU YOU TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. MY PART IS DONE AND FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I HAVE TO SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND WATCH, IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME. I WANT TO PROTECT MY BABY AND THE ONLY WAY I CAN DO IT IS TO BE OVER PROTECTIVE OF YOU."_

But Danny did have a point, he hadn't got much control over the situation and Val found herself nodding in agreement to his point as well. Both of them were valid.

"Oh God," Val exclaimed, "This is like a car wreck, you know it's bad, really bad and you shouldn't look but…. You're proper staring. It's that feeling." She told Wolfe.

"Maybe we should go get that drink." He suggested. Val now couldn't tell whether it gave him a reason to leave or whether it was because he wanted to actually go for a drink.

 _"_ _TWO FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL AND I'M STILL PREGNANT."_ Val heard Kara scream.

Val reacted with surprise. Secretly she had always wondered how Kara had ended up pregnant, like she was just one of those people who seemed to follow the rules and was really careful about things, it was almost as if she had a bit of a stick up her butt sometimes. She didn't seem the impulsive type but clearly the relationship with Danny had been somewhat. Val had always assumed they'd had unprotected sex or just an accident with a condom but two forms of contraception…

Val jumped out of her reverie when Wolfe clear his throat and she found him staring at the ceiling.

"Well I guess we've established Danny has super sperm." She said matter-of-factly.

Wolfe laughed, "One wouldn't expect anything less from a SEAL. I think they're meant to use super strength condoms."

"I wonder how this is going to end." Val mused and Wolfe clocked on immediately. He smiled, somewhat in disbelief.

"You want to stay." He accused her with a twinkle in his eyes, he wasn't completely shocked.

"Don't you?" she asked, just as accusingly. "We've got to this point, don't you want to see how this is going to end."

"No." he said almost a little too forcefully and a small nod of his head.

"I saw you nod. You're just as nosey as me. I'm just honest about it." She said indignantly, pointing her index finger at him.

"FOR FUCKS SAKE, ARE WE SERIOUSLY BACK TO DISCUSSING THAT, KARA?" they suddenly heard Danny yell "IT'S NOT A THING, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE."

"NEITHER IS MY ABILITY TO LIVE MY LIFE. GIVE ME SOME BLOODY CREDIT, DANNY." The response came through the door.

Val stared at Wolfe with raised eyebrows and pressed lips. Suddenly the door to Danny and Kara's room swung open. The force behind it was so great that it swooshed and banged against the wall. Val and Wolfe came face to face with Danny, who look flustered and somewhat dishevelled. He stared at them surprised. It was clear he had not expected to see them there and why should he, they hadn't arranged to meet.

"Oh…" he swallowed and composed himself. " Hi, er, were you here to see me?" he sighed. He really needed to get away from the hotel.

"I was just about to invite you down for a drink." Wolfe stepped in.

"That sounds great, let's go." Danny strode out, swinging his kit back over his shoulder. "Val." He acknowledged her as he passed her, but no hint of his normal smile today.

Wolfe quickly turned to join his friend but said over his shoulder,

"Another time for that drink." It was casually said but the twinkle in his eye said it was anything but a casual invitation, he was definitely interested.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." She shrugged and matched his disinterested tone with her own voice.

The two men disappeared down the corridor, not speaking as men do in times like this.

Mike Slattery was walking back to the Nathan James when he passed a bar that had popped up a couple of days after the ship had docked. A local man had realise how much sailors enjoyed a drink and took the opportunity to sell his home brew. Desperate times had given many opportunities to those out there willing to take them and clearly this bar owner had seen a gap in the market. He was walking by, not really paying much attention but something caught the corner of his eye. He went back a few steps and peered through the window at the dimly lit bar. His eyebrows drew together in surprise when he recognised two of the figures hunched over glasses of beer. What on earth were they doing there? This didn't seem right. He strode inside and the bar keeper looked over at the sound of the door banging, apart from Danny and Wolfe the rest of the joint was empty. Neither man turned, they just continued to stare into the brown swirl of homebrew in front of them. Danny's hunched shoulders made him look like a man carrying the weight of the world and Mike could now see that Wolfe was flicking through a magazine. Ah, this was male bonding at it's finest - going for a drink together, sitting silence, whilst one broods and the other one reads.

Mike cleared his throat, "Two sailors walk into a bar….." he started in a clear voice and walked over to them. Wolfe twisted round to look at him and Danny just supped his beer.

"What are two of my finest doing sat in the bar on weeknight?" he asked. He clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder, there was no reaction. "Don't you have a hotel room and fiancé somewhere and you," he pointed at Wolfe, "Aren't you usually kicking a punch bag at this time?"

Danny finally turned round and Mike found himself drawing back slightly, trying not to look shocked. Danny wasn't drunk, his expression was a dark blankness. Wolfe looked at Danny pointedly, raised his eyebrows to accentuate his point and went back to his magazine.

"Early PT tomorrow morning, Sir." Danny said in a controlled, neutral voice, turning back round and taking another mouthful of beer. Wolfe flicked over a page of his magazine and without looking up, echoed Danny, "Early PT tomorrow morning, Sir."

"Really?" Mike sad wryly, "that's what we're calling it these days, is it? In my days it was called fighting with the other half." He moved round and sat down heavily on an empty stool next to Danny.

"Can I smoke in here?" he asked the bar keeper, pulling out a half smoked cigar, twirling it between two fingers and searching for the matches. The bar keeper nodded and pulled out an ash tray. "Sure, can I get you a drink?"

"How are you accepting payment?" Slattery enquired. The bar keeper waved his hand.

"Don't worry, these two have paid up for the night."

"They have, have they?" he asked suspiciously. He twisted in his seat to look at Wolfe and Danny and neither of them moved. Danny continued to stare at the wall, brooding and Wolfe flicked over another page, blatantly ignoring the CO's enquiring stare. "Do I want to know how?"

"Nope," Danny said, clearly talking to the CO but as if he was addressing the thin air.

"Best not to ask. Just enjoy the beer. It's good." Wolfe told him.

"OK, in that case then, I'll have a drink. Thank you." He nodded at the bartender, who pulled him a pint. Mike sniffed it, it smelt good. He then took a long sip, Wolfe was right, it was good. Really good. He put the cigar in his mouth, lit up and snapped out a couple of puffs of smoke. He gave it a few more seconds before asking into the silence: "So do I want to know what's happened?"

"Best not to ask," Wolfe replied, once again flicking over a page in the magazine. Slattery could see it was a bike magazine, adverts for shiny motorbikes stared out at him. He nodded.

"Are we talking about it?" he asked again.

"Nope." It was Danny's turn this time. His answer just hung the air for a moment, it was final. He continued to stare at the wall and as if to accentuate his point of not wanting to talk, he took another mouthful of beer.

Mike chewed on his cigar and then took a drink, "OK then." He settled himself into his stool and leaned on the bar. When things got tough, he was the kind of Captain that would sit with his crew and when need be, he'd sit with them in silence.


	54. Chapter 54

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay, been away with work. Hope you all had a great Christmas and all the best for 2018. My new years resolution isto not leave it so long between posting. Thanks for reading.

Val had tentatively knocked, she'd waited until Wolfe and Danny had gone from eyesight before doing so, she didn't want to look like she'd been hanging round listening.

Kara flung open the door, somewhat expecting to see Danny on the otherside, she hoped it was Danny and was somewhat taken aback to see Val.

"Oh, hi," Kara said, forcing herself to try and act like she hadn't just meesed up her relationship.

"Hiiiiii, buddy." Val said, far too cheerfully and she knew it had been too much.

"You heard all of that then." Kara said dryly, with a raised eyebrow.

Val raised her hands in a casual defense. "Well, I'm not going round listening in to people's arguments but yeah, it was, er, pretty hard not hear it." Val sucked in through her teeth, the kind of sound you make when you watch someone hurt themselves.

"That bad then," Kara said resignedly, "Come on in. Welcome to Kara's new life, that of the single mom."

She held the door open for Val and Vall followed her through to the sitting area of the suite, she let out a low whistle.

"This is real nice. I just have a normal room. Say, how's your minibar looking?" she asked with casual curiosity, looking round to see if she could see it.

"It has alcohol in," Kara answered Val's question with the answer she really wanted to hear, then pointed under the desk. "Down there, help yourself."

Val opened the fridge and stared at the almost untouched array infront of her, she stared back up at Kara in awe, "Why haven't you guys drunk more?" she asked breathlessly.

Kara looked at her as if she was simple, "I'm….. pregnant." She said as if speaking to the village idiot.

"Oh, yeah. That." Val acknowledged, "Still I thought Danny might have….." she trailed off aware that she was insinuating that Danny might be in a position where he might need to drink more. Kara had a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised. "I'm not going to finish that sentence," she told Kara.

Kara softened and sighed, "Don't worry, I've already screamed at one person today. I love him and I quite like you, I don't really want to piss off anyone else who matters today."

Val knew she should focus on the bigger picture, as in the Danny and Kara fight however she couldn't help but smile and stick her chin out proudly by the fact that someone said they liked her. It's nice to have friends and she actually had a real friend for once. She reached into the fridge and pulled out a small bottle of wine, at the back was a can of coca-cola.

"There's a coke, do you want a coke? We can sit and chat…. like….. female friends? Tell me about your…. feelings." Val really wanted to embrace the whole friendship thing but found herself awkwardly saying the words. She attempted a smile.

"What are you doing?" Kara asked, looking at Val as if she had two heads.

"Um, trying to be friends, I don't do a lot of face to face interaction." Val explained.

"Oh, some advice - stop that smile thing, it's creepy. Is this because I said I quite liked you?"

"Yeah, I'm not used to that." Val said bluntly.

"Oh stop it and pass me the coke." Kara said with a laugh and she took the coke Val passed up. They moved over to the couch and Val sank down into the corner of it, pulling her legs under her.

"You know, I'm probably not meant to drink this either. Probably has too much caffeine and sugar in but sod it, one won't hurt." Kara

"Amen to that," Val said as she took a glug of wine. "Cheers," she said clinking the bottle against the can.

"So, men. What jackasses." Val said, opening up the conversation again.

"No luck with Wolfe?" Kara asked.

"Almost," she sighed, " but no. It's like he's interested but we just keep missing each other. To be naval, like ships in the night."

"Appropriate analogy." Kara said, sipping her coke. There was a knock at the door and Kara went to answer it, Val peered round and she could see Alesha enter the room. Kara hadn't said anything but Alesha gave her a hug, maybe she could just sense something wasn't right. She pulled up a chair as Kara fell back onto the couch.

"So, what's going on?" Alesha asked, cheerily, almost too brightly.

"Danny and I had a fight." Kara said.

"Wolfe and I will probably never have sex." Val told her.

"Ah," Alesha acknowledge with a nod of her head and static smile, her eyes wide. "Well, that sucks," she directed her response to Kara with sympathy and she turned to Val, "And _that's_ a heterosexual problem I'll never encounter." She said with less sympathy.

Val shrugged, "Each to their own."

"So what happened with Danny?" Alesha asked, ignoring Val.

"I'm pretty certain I've messed that up – forever."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Alesha assured her, "It'll work itself out. He loves you."

Kara looked at her sadly, "I don't really want to go into details, I can't really remember the exact words but I blamed him for me getting pregnant and then I think I might have accused him of him trying to stop me living my life." Kara said with mock smile.

"Oh, no, you definitely accused him of that."

Kara motioned over towards Val and shrugged as if to say "Told you."

"It's all fixable Kara," Alesha reassured her again, "And it's ok to be angry about it and a little resentful."

"Even though it's my fault? If I'd never caved and had sex wiith Danny I wouldn't be in this position. Ultimately, it is my fault but part of me doesn't want to accept that and so I blamed Danny but I can't tell him that now."

"You'd rather be alone and unhappy than just sit down with him and talk it out? Kara, come on." Alesha was blunt and Kara nodded, she knew she was righ.

"I know you're right but part of me wants him to get that this isn't easy for me. Like he just carries on like normal, there's no effort try and be sensitive to what I'm going through. I don't know if we can work this one out."

Alesha chewed her lip as she digested what Kara was saying. She knew Kara was stubborn, even when she knew she should give a little, she still clung to that stubbornness but at the same time Alesha could understand how Kara felt. She wasn't insecure in the things she knew how to do and had confidence in but Alesha had never heard her say she wanted a baby, she wasn't sure Kara was maternal, never heard her talk about relatives with babies and whilst Kara might say she was happy about having a baby it was all new territory for her. Alesha did recognise Kara's independence though, it was almost easier to be on her own than open herself up to the possibility or being vulnerable and hurt byt allowing someone else in.

"Hey, Kara." Alesha said, "How about, if things don't work out with Danny, I'll move in with you. We'll raise this baby together."

Kara slowly looked over at her friend, the words sinking in. "You'd raise the baby with me? What bout the navy?"

Alesha laughed, Kara's head always going to the navy.

"I'm serious. I'm up for re-enlistment in four months time. I can say no, stay here with you but you hae to try sort things with Danny first."

"I don't know what to say. I didn't expect the offer. Thank you." Kara struggled for words.

Val wondered if she should offer to help raise the baby but she didn't feel she had great people skills enver mind baby skills.

"I'll teach your kid how to programme a computer." Val offered.

Kara laughed, "Thank you. Thank you both, whatever happens, I don't need you to change your lives. I'll probably end up going back to Norfolk. My mom seems to have got herself sorted there and Danny will be there occasionally, so he can see his kid, if we don't sort ourselves out." Just thinking about it again made her sad. She really wanted to sort things with Danny, she loved him and she wanted to have him around. She didn't want them just to have been a "thing" once in the past.

"I think you'll sort it." Val offered up, somewhat casually.

"Thanks, your confidence reassures me." Kara replied dryly.

"You're welcome. So, anyway, are we done discussing this?" Val asked.

Alesha looked over in surprised and then she looked back at Kara, a bemused looked on her.

"I guess so…" Kara said and Alesha nodded.

"Great, I mean not great but great that we could have this chat and discuss how we feel." She tried smiling again and Alesha pulled her head back in some sort of mild fear. Kara caught the look on Alesha's face and she grabbed Alesha's hand,

"Don't look at the smile, it's Val trying to be friendly" she said, her head down and shaking with concealed laughter.

"No wonder Wolfe is avoiding you with that smile." Alesha giggled, poking fun.

"Hey, my smile is not that bad," Val snapped as Alesha and Kara started to laugh.

"Stop trying so hard," Alesha told her , "We like you….. without the smile."


End file.
